Lost In Time
by Mosgem
Summary: "She was aware of her heart speeding up as she watched his face light up, the smile spreading from his mouth to his eyes." they may have been fake, but her memories of the wilderness school were all to real for Piper. This is her story about how it went. Lots of jasper fluff
1. Chapter 1

**Hello!**

**So, i was struck by a bolt of inspiration yesterday and decided to write Piper's story of her time at the Wilderness school. Lots of Jasper will be included. **

**if anyone knows a story like this that was published before, please tell me in a review so i can mention them. If not, enjoy the story!**

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"Mind if I sit next to you?"

Piper looked up from staring at her boots to see a kid about her age standing in the aisle of the bus, holding a big duffel bag in one hand. He was dressed in jeans and an army jacket with lots of pockets, which were filled up with what looked like pipe cleaners. He had long hair, sharp ears and a mischievous glint in his eyes. He was tall and spindly.

"Sure," Piper muttered. Kid's continued to file onto the bus, which was painted bright red with **WILDERNESS SCHOOL PICKUP** painted on the side in black lettering.

"Have you seen this?" the boy asked, waving around the Wilderness school brochure. "I mean, seriously." He flipped open one of the pages. It showed a bunch of smiling kids running along the desert with a happy-looking coach behind them. Speech bubbles came out of several of the kids' mouths saying ridiculous things like _it'll teach you discipline! _And _jail never looked this good_.

"Seriously. They expect us to look like this?" the kid asked, jabbing down with his finger. "I mean, that person looks like they got no sleep last night, and he," he pointed to another one of the smiling kids. "Obviously has no underwear on."

Despite herself, Piper cracked a smile. "I'm Leo, by the way," he said, holding out his hand. Piper shook it.

"Piper," she said. Leo dumped his bag on the ground and settled in next to her. His fingers hadn't stopped moving. They were pulling pipe cleaners out of his pockets and twisting them around, creating something.

"What did you do to secure your spot on this bus-ride-from-hell?" Leo asked her. Piper debated telling the truth or not.

"I stole a car," she admitted. Leo glanced over at her, surprised.

"You, steal a car?" he asked incredulously. "You look... I dunno, but you don't look like a thief. You look like a poster kid for native American people. You know, the good-looking ones they put up on posters and say _protect our land!_"

He meant it as a compliment, but it hit Piper hard. _Native American_. That's exactly what she was, and she hated being called it. She turned her back on Leo.

"Oh, sore spot?" he asked. "Here, I'll make it up to you." Piper turned to look at him, and saw that he had made a slingshot of sorts out of pipe cleaners and an elastic band. Before Piper could say anything, he loaded a small metal nut inside, pulled it back and fired. The bolt sailed through the air and hit one of the kids in front of them right on his neck.

Piper burst out laughing as Leo threw the slingshot onto the lap of the kid in front of him and dove below the seats as the kid he hit turned angrily, looking for the person who had hit him.

Piper couldn't help but notice how good-looking he was, with close-cropped blonde hair, clear blue eyes and a kind, gentle face. He looked like an athlete—built a lot heavier than Leo, who was small and spindly. The blond guy began to walk back, towards Piper and Leo, who was still hiding below the seats, stifling his own laughter. Piper tried her best to suppress a smile as the blonde guy drew closer, but she couldn't stop from grinning.

Instead of getting mad when he reached them, the blonde guy looked down, saw Leo hiding and laughed. He held up the bolt.

"I think this is yours," he said, handing it to Leo, who got up slowly and took it.

"Thanks, man," Leo said. "I'm Leo."

"Jason," the blonde kid said. He looked over and Piper, who felt herself blushing. "And you are…"

"Piper," she said, a little bit too quickly. "I'm Piper."

"Nice meeting you," Jason said, the bus lurched and he stumbled sideways. "I better get back to my seat. See you when we park, yeah?"

"See you," Leo said, and then Jason was gone, walking quickly up to his chair and sitting down. Piper was worried she had been obvious about finding him cute, but Leo didn't notice at all. He had all ready disassembled his slingshot and was making something else.

"So what did you do?" Piper asked. Leo looked up, surprised. "I told you what I did to end up here. Your turn."

"I ran away," he said causally. "Six times." Piper looked at him in shock. Sure, she hated living with Jane and her whatever babysitter her dad had hired while she was away, but she never considered running away.

"You ran away from your house six times?" Piper asked. Leo scoffed.

"Of course not."

"Then how—"

"I ran away from my _foster_ home six times," Leo amended. Piper stared at him. "What? I'm not a people person."

"No kidding," Piper said. She stared gloomily out the window as the bus pulled away from the airport and started driving towards the Wilderness School, where the court had negotiated with Jane to make her spend three months— her punishment for stealing the BMW. Well, she hadn't really _stolen _it. She couldn't explain it, and no one believed her when she said it, but she had kind of convinced the store manager to give it to her.

Now, sitting here, she regretted stealing the stupid car. She didn't even want the dumb thing. She just wanted her dad's attention. Was that too much to ask? Should it really have been that hard for a kid to get her dad to look at her twice? Even if your dad was a famous movie star, kids should be more important that work, right?

Piper sighed, staring out at the bleak desert whizzing by out the window. The brochure made the Wilderness school sound fun, but Piper had looked online, and the reviews made it sound like three months of torture.

Although, with Jason here with her, it might not be that bad…

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**I don't know. what did you guys think? too long? to short? there'll be more fluff later on in the story. anyways, tell me what you guys think of it. reviews make me update faster!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! Chapter two, coming at you. **

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed or favourited my story. I got for followers already! that made me really happy. Here's chapter two for you. **

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The bus pulled up in front of the Wilderness school dorms, a dejected-looking grey building, two stories high, with a flat roof and a running track around the back. About two hundred feet down a path, another, brighter building sat—their classrooms, Piper was guessing.

"Alright!" the guy at the front of the bus yelled. He was dressed in black track pants and a red sleeveless shirt, and he looked like a boy builder— huge arms, a square face and a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.

He looked about five feet tall.

"I'm Coach Hedge!" he bellowed. "I am your dorm master, your physical trainer and your head teacher for however long you are planning to stay with us—which I hope is a short time." he looked at all of them through narrowed eyes. "Grab your bags and go inside to the building in front of you. There'll be a list pinned up on the door. Find out your dorm, dump you bags and meet me by the track in fifteen minutes. Move, cupcakes!"

Despite his height, the guy was pretty scary. The kids jumped to their feet and started shoving each other, trying to get out of the door first. Leo nudged Piper.

"Look at this guy," he snorted, nodding in Coach Hedge's direction. "He is just _asking_ to be pranked."

"I wouldn't," Piper frowned. "He doesn't look like he loves us."

Leo snorted again. "He's a coach. What's he going to do, hit us?" Piper didn't respond, but she couldn't be sure. The Wilderness School was where you got sent if everywhere else rejected you— maybe they were allowed to bend a couple of rules.

Piper was the last one off the bus after Leo, who cheerily jumped onto the ground and looked around. He took a deep breath and choked on the dust that was floating in the air.

"Nature— gotta hate it," he coughed, stumbling over to the massive heap of bags that sat next to the bus. Somewhere in there was Piper's, containing her life for three months—clothes, a few books, her iPod, a pillow, a sleeping bag, safety scissors (to cut her hair), a comb, some soap and shampoo.

She spotted the tattered blue handle of her bag poking out of the very bottom of the pile. Grabbing hold of it, she pulled as hard as she could, but she couldn't budge the stupid thing.

"Need a hand?" A voice asked from behind her. She spun around to see Jason— the cute kid from the bus— standing there with a gentle smile on his face. Piper saw he had a little scar on his upper lip. She wondered how he got it.

"Thanks," Piper said, backing away. He grabbed the handle and pulled. With a grunt, her bag came loose. Jason stumbled a couple of steps backwards before regaining his balance.

"Here you go," he said, handing it to Piper. Their hands touched, and a little jolt went up Piper's arm. "Do you need me to carry that as well?"

"No, it's alright," Piper replied, trying not to show how flustered she was. She was cursing herself mentally. _It's just a boy, Piper. A cute boy, but just a boy. Don't act like an idiot_. "Thanks, though."

"No problem," he smiled, showing perfect teeth, and Piper's heart skipped a beat. Jason turned to leave, but Leo called him back.

"Yo! Superman!" he gestured to his own suitcase. "Get my bag for me, please?" he made a show of fluttering his eyelashes and swooning mockingly at Jason, who punched him playfully in the arm. He grabbed Leo's case and pulled, hard, freeing it. Leo thanked him, and the three of them walked inside together.

"So what did you do to end up in this dump?" Leo asked as his suitcase rattled and jumped behind him on the uneven ground. Piper's own duffel bag was killing her arm with its weight, but she didn't want to ask Jason for help again, so she just suffered quietly. Jason himself didn't seem to be having trouble at all with his bag.

"I broke someone's arm," (1) Jason said, dropping his gaze. "They made fun of my mom. She's dead," he added after a pause. For once, Leo didn't make some wisecrack joke. Pain— immense pain— crossed his face for a second, and he looked a lot older than fifteen.

Piper wanted to say something comforting to both of them. They wore matching expressions of grief and suffering although Leo's had something else. Guilt? But she didn't know what to say, so she just patted Jason awkwardly on the shoulder.

"He deserved it," Leo muttered. "The kid, I mean. Good job breaking his arm, man." He high-fived Jason, and just like that, they became friends.

"Yeah," Jason said. "Insufferable prick, he was. The court sent me here after— I have no parents left, couldn't afford a lawyer, so they shipped me off to this place." He looked around.

"Armpit, Nevada," Leo nodded. Piper and Jason laughed.

"Armpit, Nevada," Piper repeated. "I like it. It's staying."

"What about you two?" Jason asked. Before either of them could answer they were at the building. The majority of the kids were inside, wrestling for positions to look at the small sheet of A4 paper pinned up on the wall.

"I got this," Leo said. "Here, beauty queen, hold this." He passed his suitcase to Piper, who held onto it. Leo disappeared into the crowd. Jason turned to Piper.

"Beauty Queen?" he asked, his eyebrows raised. "Is that your nickname?"

"Apparently," Piper scowled. She didn't like being called pretty. She tried _really_ hard not to be pretty.

"He's not wrong, you know," Jason said. He looked over at Piper. "The beauty part… I just mean…" he cleared his throat. "How did you end up here?"

"I stole a car," Piper admitted. "A BMW. The dealer didn't even notice… in fact, he kind of gave it to me."

"What do you mean?" Jason asked, clearly confused.

"I kind of asked nicely, and he gave me the car," Piper explained. "I don't know how I did it, but it's the truth, I swear."

"I believe you," Jason said, although a smirk was playing across his lips. He found the idea ridiculous, just like everyone else, although Jason was too cute to be mad at. The way his hair was combed to one side, how a couple of pieces fell onto his forehead…

Leo appeared, breaking her chain of thought. His hands were still moving, jumping around his sweater, tapping on his jeans or playing with stuff from his pockets.

"Are you hyped up on sugar?" Jason asked as soon as he saw Leo. "Seriously, man, stand still."

"Yeah, right," Leo laughed. "That's like telling beauty queen over here to stop staring at you. Not gonna happen." Piper's face flared bright red, although, she was glad to see, so did Jason's. She cleared her throat and looked away. She did _not_ stare at Jason.

Well, maybe a little.

"Anyways," Leo said, picking up his suitcase. "You're in dorm D-3, Piper, whatever the heck that means. We're in the same dorm," he told Jason, slapping him on the arm. "B-4."

"Meet you down by the track?" Jason asked. Piper nodded and he smiled, the little scar on his lip curving upwards. Then he was gone, lost in the crowd, and Piper was by herself.

Sighing, she moved her duffel bag from on arm to the other and trudged towards the staircase that led to the girl's dorms, getting jostled from side to side by people all around her. She stumbled on the first step but quickly regained her balance, feeling her face burning for the second time in two minutes. She stumbled up the steps.

There were five doors at the top, labeled A-E. Piper pushed open the door labeled E and found herself in a medium sized room, with a couple of couches, a few chairs, tables and a TV. Four staircases led away at one side. Piper dragged her suitcase up the one labeled 4 and pushed open the door at the top. There were three beds jammed inside. Piper took the one closest to the solitary window, throwing her bag on top with a grunt. She looked around. The room didn't look like much, a rectangular space with a dresser by each bed and a door leading off to a small bathroom.

Piper hurried back downstairs, wanting to met Jason by the track as soon as possible. She knew it was stupid, considering she had only known the guy for two hours, but he was really, _really _cute. Leo was nice as well, even though he could be annoying sometimes.

As Piper was starting down the stairs, another girl who was coming up stuck out her foot and tripped her. Piper tumbled down, cursing as her head hit the wooden stair hard. She rolled off and lay there, groaning.

"Oops," the girl smirked. "Sorry. Didn't see you there." Piper rolled over and got to her feet, glaring at the girl. She was dressed in shorts and a tight-fitting purple shirt, with her hair immaculately curled and her face caked in make-up. She had a pink suitcase that seemed like it was about to burst with clothes.

Piper would have happily smacked her between the eyes, but before she could the girl disappeared, still laughing. Clutching her head, which was throbbing, Piper headed towards the track. Maybe Jason could brighten her mood.

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**(1) Because i had no real idea why Jason was sent to the wilderness school, this seemed like as good of an idea as any**

**Anyways, did you like it? I'm guessing about most of the details, so if anyone has anything they can add/correct, PM me or drop a review. Also, if anyone has any ideas for what sort of trouble they can get into, drop a review as well. **

**Reviews make me happy and they make me update faster! review, please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, again! thanks for the reviews, everybody. **

**So, funniest thing. There's another story, just like this, called lost tales of the wilderness school (i think). Mind was published a day earlier, so no one yelling at me for copying the story. The only difference is mine has Jason in it, and the other one doesn't. **

**anyways, new chapter up!**

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The boys were already by the track, standing by the side. Leo was talking, no doubt telling a joke. He stopped talking and Jason laughed, oblivious to Piper watching him. She was aware of her heart speeding up as she watched his face light up, the smile spreading from his mouth to his eyes.

Piper came up along side of them. Leo had gotten rid of his army jacket and had swapped jeans for track pants. He looked incredibly bored without something to build, instead bouncing from foot to foot.

"Hey, Piper," he greeted. "You okay? You look ready to punch someone."

"Someone pushed me down the stairs," Piper answered angrily, rubbing her head and wincing. Jason looked concerned.

"Do you need ice or something?" he asked. Piper just shook her head. "Who did it?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "Some girl. Dressed in pink, wearing a lot of make-up."

"Like her?" Leo asked, pointing across the field where the girl who had pushed Piper was just getting out of the building. She was surrounded by a flock of boys, all jostling each other for her attention. Leo crinkled his nose.

"Man," he muttered. "I don't say this often, but she is wearing too much make-up."

"Definitely," Piper nodded. "I didn't even bring any." Leo looked at her in mock surprise.

"A girl who doesn't wear make-up?" he asked, all wide eyes and open mouthed. Piper smacked him in the arm and he rolled away, laughing.

"You don't need it," Jason blurted out. "You like great without it." He clamped his mouth shut, looking embarrassed, but Piper felt like her heart was going to burst from her chest. She couldn't think of a response, so she just stood there like an idiot, trying not to break out into a ridiculous smile.

Jason was looking at her like he was hoping for her to say something, or maybe drawing up the courage to say something else, but he never got the chance, because Coach Hedge turned on his megaphone and started blaring instructions.

"Alright, cupcakes!" he yelled, standing up on a fallen log so he could actually be seen over the heads of the teenagers who surrounded him. His eyes were narrowed. "Unfortunately, I can't make you run the track, although some of you could definitely use it." He zeroed in on Leo, who threw his hands up in exasperation. Ripples of laughter spread through the groups of kids. None of them seemed like particularly hardened criminals. They were like normal kids.

"This is your home for the amount of time you're staying with us," Hedge yelled through the megaphone. "Monday through Saturday, breakfast is served at seven. You will eat, get ready and then proceed to go to lessons until lunch, which is at one in the morning. Then you will have physical activities with me and then positive learning with Doctor Evans. Our goal is to turn you into well-rounded, rule abiding citizens." He said it with a dubious expression on his face, like he didn't believe at all that would happen. Kids were smirking at each other at the thought of it.

"Then, you will be expected to do homework from four till seven—" more smirking—" And then free time until lights out, which is at ten." Hedge finished. "ON Sunday, breakfast is at ten and you can do whatever you want for the whole day. About once a week, I will take you on educational field trips. You're expected to be on your best behavior during these field trips, or else," he swung the baseball bat and the kids nearest to him jumped back in surprise, barely avoiding being hit.

"Man," Leo whistled. "This guy is grumpy."

"He doesn't look like the kind of guy you want to annoy," Jason agreed. "I can't wait for 'physical training' with him." Piper cracked a smile at the sarcasm in his voice.

"You have the rest of the day off," Coach Hedge continued. "Diner will be served at seven, and you can turn the lights off whenever you want, but remember you have school tomorrow." He glared at them once more, like he hated the fact that they were standing before him. "Dismissed."

The crowd of kids slowly dispersed in twos or three. Jason looked around. There were a couple of basketball courts, a tetherball and some sports equipment lying around.

"Lets go have fun!" Leo announced with enthusiasm in his voice. Rolling her eyes, Piper shoved him and Leo toppled over.

"What was that for, beauty queen?" He asked, climbing to his feet and dusting himself off.

"Calling me beauty queen," Piper retorted. Jason laughed from beside her. Piper couldn't believe that, her first day here, she had made a couple of friends already. Normally, she shut herself off from people, but with Jason… he was just so open and kind, it was hard to be distant with him. Not that Piper would want to be. And Leo was just impossible to ignore. He was so hyper, jumping around, making bad jokes and doing stupid things, it made you laugh.

They kept walking to the main building, but Jason was cut off by the girl who pushed Piper down the stairs. She appeared out of nowhere, flocked by three other equally make-up caked girls, and put and hand on his chest, batting her eyelids flirtatiously.

"Who are you?" She asked sweetly. Piper felt her blood boil, and she resisted the urge to smack the girl on the head. She wasn't getting in trouble the first day here.

"I'm Jason," he answered, looking down at her almost cautiously.

"That's a hot name," the smiled. Behind her, Leo made stopped from where he was flirting with the other three girls and made gagging motions at the girl, before moving to stand by Piper again. She smiled gratefully at him and he smirked in the direction of Jason. She shoved him with her shoulder.

"I'm Isabel," she continued. "How long are you staying here?"

"Three months." Jason was standing stock still, staring at her like he had no clue what to do with the girl who was pressed up against him.

"That's nice," Isabel said, backing off slightly. "Do you want to come hang out with us, Jason?" She batted her eyelashes. "We could have fun."

"Nope," Jason answered cheerfully, pushing her off, wheeling around and walking away with a definite bounce to his step. Leo burst out laughing while Isabel stood there, a mixture of anger and shock on her face. She turned to glare at Piper and Leo, the latter who was still doubled over laughing.

"Shut up!" Isabel snapped.

"Or what?" Leo choked between fits of laughter. "You'll smear your mascara on me?" He continued to laugh at a furious Isabel, who turned and stormed away.

Piper found herself laughing as well, slowly at first, but then more and more as she replayed the scene in her mind. The look on Isabel's face when Jason had cheerfully turned her down had just been priceless.

Jason came back to them, an embarrassed look on his face. Leo, who was jut sobering up, clapped him on the back.

"You, my friend," he announced, still snickering. "Are amazing."

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**Well? not my best work, i know. I have a bit of writers block, because it's too early to write serious Jasper stuff, because they just met, and i don't know what else to do. PLease PM or review with any ideas/corrections i can make to the story. **

**Reviews are the best thing ever!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! i've been having trouble getting down and actually typing because of school, so i may not be updating as much now, but i'll try my best. **

**Also, to anyone who read my story Not For Me, i was struck by a bolt of inspiration and made a second chapter. Anyone who reads and reviews the story are on my list of favourite people.  
Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

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Again, the boys left Piper to go to their dorm, with promise to meet her back at the track in half an hour. Piper left, watching Jason walk away with Leo. She was _not _staring at him, she decided. It didn't matter that every time he looked at her, her heart sped up a little bit, or every time he smiled the world seemed a little brighter, or the adorable little smile he always had on is face… no. She wasn't falling for him. She couldn't. As soon as they finished at the Wilderness School, he would go back home to wherever he lived, and she would be shipped off to another fancy boarding school by her dad, and they would probably never talk again.

The thought gave her a heavy heart as she trudged towards the dorm. She new it was ridiculous; she had known him for less than a day. There was just something oddly appealing to him, like a magnet drawing her closer.

She came up to her dorm, opened the door and immediately wished she were dead. The reason: sitting on one of the other beds, applying make-up while talking, were Isabel and two of her friends, Anna and Lea. Piper groaned inwardly.

Isabel saw her, and her perfectly manicured eyebrows shot up. "Oh, no," she sneered. "Tell me _she_ is not sleeping in the same room as us."

"Trust me, I don't like it any more than you," Piper snapped back, feeling her face burning as she walked by Isabel and sat down on her bed.

"Where did you come from?" Isabel asked, faking innocence. "Trailer park or foster home?"

Piper would have happily decked her, but it was her first day and she was determined to be good, so she just grit her teeth and dug through her bag, looking for a book to entertain herself with.

"Did you cut your hair with nail clippers?" Isabel continued. Piper spun around, he hands clenched. "Ooooh," Isabel giggled. "What are you going to do? Are you going to punch me?"

"Shut up," Piper snapped, turning back to her suitcase and searching for her book unsuccessfully. Isabel kept teasing.

"You know, there's this thing called make-up," she mocked. "It might help with that pimple on your nose."

Piper wheeled around again, her hands clenched tightly and her breath shallow. She wanted so badly to do something to Isabel, to hit her, or push her, or rip her hair out…

"I think it looks cute," a new voice cut in. Piper looked up, surprised. Jason waltzed into the room, Leo right behind. Leo had changed back into his army jacket and was constructing a car with metal nuts for wheels.

"The pimple, I mean," Jason added, looking around a tweaking the curtains. "Nice curtains, Piper."

Leo bounced on Isabel's bed, and from the way she crinkled her nose, it annoyed her as much as he hoped it would. "Man, why is her bed so much comfier than mine?"

Isabel seemed at a complete loss of words as Jason and Leo cheerfully explored the room. Jason examined Isabel's overnight back, wrinkling his nose at the smell of perfume that it reeked of.

"I like it here," Leo announced, ending up sitting on one of Anna's bed and looking around brightly, completely oblivious to the girl glaring at him.

"Same," Jason agreed, plopping down onto Lea's bed and smiling. "What should we do, Piper?"

"Get out!" Isabel shrieked as Leo propped his feet up on her bed, so he was suspended between Anna's and Isabel's beds, head on one and feet on the other. Isabel smacked his feet away and he rolled off, laughing as he hit the ground with a solid thunk. Jason smirked, and Piper was proud of the fact it didn't make her stomach jump… much.

"Why are they here?" Anna asked. Piper rolled her eyes, thinking she probably wasn't the brightest. Lea had her eyes fixed on Jason, which gave Piper the urge to smack her.

"We're bugging you," Leo said bluntly. "Come on, Piper. Let's go do something."

Piper found herself grinning at the astounded looks on Isabel and her friends faces as she walked out the door with Leo and Jason. Leo gave a cheeky wave and Jason winked, before shutting the door.

"Thanks, guys," Piper grinned once they were down the stairs and outside. "I hate her already."

"I'm not normally one for first impressions," Jason agreed. "But yeah, I don't like her much."

They reached the doors and stepped outside. It was August twentieth, but with the sun shining and a cool breeze blowing it was a perfect temperature.

"We could play basketball," Jason suggested. "I can't shoot worth hell, but we can easily try."

They ended up grabbing the nearest court to them and a pretty decent ball. It was slightly deflated, but better than most of the ones that were littered over the grass area that most of the kids were now hanging out.

Jason was, true to his word, completely awful. He couldn't shoot, he could barely dribble and even Piper was better at the game than him. Leo was, surprisingly, the best of them. He was quick on his feet, and although his slender hands could barely hold the ball, he thread it neatly through Jason's legs about a hundred times.

A game of basketball turned into watch Jason try to play. He ran around good-naturedly, diving dramatically for the ball and taking hopeless shots whenever he got it.

Leo seemed to be enjoying himself at being better than Jason. Piper mainly sat back and laughed as Jason tried with the same joyful spirit again and again to score on Leo.

After four hours of this, at which end both boys were drenched in sweat and panting with exhaustion. Jason had a look of utter defeat on his face, but he was grinning.

"Guess that's not my game," he gasped. Leo laughed, before shooting one last three-pointer than bounced off the rim.

"Let's go get something to drink," Leo said, whipping sweat off his brow. The three of them trudged towards the building, where most of the kids were heading for diner. Piper caught Isabel's eyes from across the field and smirked.

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**I didn't really know how to en the story, so i ended it there. I know, it's bad, but there was really no other way to end it. Sorry :(**

**Once again, R&R this story and my other story, please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, long time, by my standards, at least. Hows everyone doing? ho****w's going back to school? does anyone want to be really nice and review my story? Or my other story, Not for Me?**

**Sorry, i just had to ask. New chapter vvvvvv**

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Piper was woken up the next morning by Jason and Leo, who seemed to make it their mission to annoy Isabel. They bounced into her room again, Leo jubilantly shoving open the door.

"Wake up!" he said, shaking Piper happily. Jason stood back, smirking. He had the same effortless, handsome look to him, dressed in khaki shorts and a clean red shirt. His eyes had a glint of humor to them.

"What time is it?" Piper asked as Leo happily nudged Isabel with his knee. When she didn't wake up he rolled her out of the bed, causing Jason to laugh.

"It's six," he answered, and Piper groaned. She tried to go back to bed, but Jason cheerfully threw open the blinds, spilling early morning sunlight into the room, directly into Piper's eyes.

"I hate you!" Piper moaned, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Jason gave an adorable little pout that made her heart skip a beat.

"Come on, come on!" Leo said, still bouncing around the room like a hyperactive elf. "We have… you know, skills to learn, and…." He looked at Jason, who shrugged.

"I don't know what we do at this place," he said. "Heck, I didn't even read the brochure."

"Do you guys want to, like, get out?" Piper asked, realizing she was dressed in shorts and a small tank top that she slept in. Jason seemed to notice this as well and flushed a bright red.

"Sorry," he mumbled, grabbing Leo by the arm and dragging him out. Piper could hear their conversation as they exited the room— Leo begging to wake up the rest of the girls and Jason refusing over and over.

"We would get in trouble," Jason warned as Leo started towards another door. He didn't listen, so Jason grabbed his arm and held him back.

Five minutes later Piper emerged, in jeans and a shirt. "Why are we up so early again?" she groaned as they walked down the stairs and outside. It was sunny, but the morning wind had some bite to it.

"Jet Lag," Jason explained. "I was up at five. I felt bad waking Leo up—"

"As you should have—"

"But eventually I got bored so I woke him up. We were going to leave you alone, but Leo insisted if he had to get up, so did you."

"And that's what you get for being our friend," Leo finishes as they rounded the side of the building, not really knowing where they were going. Jason had picked up a piece of paper from inside the building and was looking at it.

"What's that?" Piper asked, gesturing towards the piece of paper.

"Schedule," Jason explained. "For the week. Today we have," he looked. "Math, wilderness survival and then History, then lunch, followed by 'excersize—spelled with a 'z'— and positive reinforcement."

"That sounds like _fun_," Leo said sarcastically. Jason smirked and folded up the schedule, shoving it into his pocket.

"It does sound interesting," he said. "Wilderness survival. What kind of place teaches wilderness survival?"

"A boarding school/prison for juvenile delinquents?" Piper suggested. Jason laughed, a smile creeping onto his face, and Piper almost blushed but managed to stop.

"We should go back in," he suggested after a moments silence. "I'm cold."

"Me too," Piper agreed, so they headed back towards the door, chatting somewhat awkwardly. Piper realized how quickly they had become her friends, and how unlike any of her other friends they were— her guard was down, she was being herself, and she trusted them completely. She had never had anyone like this. It was a whole new feeling to her, and she loved it. Of course, she wouldn't mind becoming a little more than friends with Jason…

The entered the warm building once again, Jason sighing with relief as the warmth hit his skin. Piper noticed the little smile on his face, the slightly upturned corners of his mouth.

"When's breakfast?" Leo asked as they headed up the stairs, apparently headed for the boys dormitory, because, as Leo put it, if they went into Piper's again, 'Isabel might throw her stilettos at us.'

Jason and Leo's room wasn't much better than hers, except Jason had a night table next to his bed and Leo had two mattresses. The window was thrown wide open and cool air was pouring in.

"Where are your roommates?" Piper asked, looking around the room and sitting on Jason's bed. She imagined it smelled like him—crisp, clean and strong.

"Roommate," Leo corrected. "We only have one."

"Of course, that's more than enough," Jason muttered darkly. Piper cocked her head in curiosity.

"What do you mean?" she questioned.

"Well," Jason started. "For one, he went for a shower forty-five minutes ago."

"Plus, he packed about ten pound of hair gel," Leo added.

"And he has playboys in his suitcase."

"Not to mention the tooth-bleach."

"And the axe-spray on extra large."

"Three bottles of it."

The two boys grinned at each other, and Piper realized how well they suited each other: Leo's energy and hyperactivity countered Jason's calm, cool and patient personality perfectly. It was like they were made for each other.

"Hey, at least you're not stuck with Isabel," Piper tried to reason, but from the way they had described him, Jason and Leo's roommate seemed pretty bad himself.

"Trust us, you don't know—" Leo started, but the door burst open, knocking Leo down. A guy was standing there, dressed in only shorts with his hair still slick from the shower. He had tanned skin, a blinding white smile and dark, short hair. He was hot, but Piper felt no attraction to him because he had an aura of cockiness around him.

"Hey, guys!" he said to Leo and Jason, and there was an almost predatory gleam in his eyes. He turned to Piper, and his smile grew. "Hello, mysterious girl! I'm Dylan!"

Jason was rolling his eyes and Leo was mocking the boy, which made Piper almost laugh. He was so serious about himself, so cocky and arrogant that Piper immediately hated him. Plus, the way his eyes roamed her body was just creepy.

With Isabel hitting on Jason and this guy hitting on her, this was going to be a fun three months….

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**Yeah, didn't know how to end it, so i just stopped there. Really bad, i know, but i was really uninspired. If anyone has some non-cannon ideas that i can write about, review and tell me. You'll be my new favorite person. **

**I'm trying a new thing. Anyone who reviews, i'll review one of your stories. Just say in the review which one you want. If every single of my followers (16) review, i'll update three times next week!**

**Please review?**


	6. Chapter 6

**So, long time, by my standards. Sorry for not updating. I've been writer-blocked and bogged down by school work so i havent been typing much. You guys did amaze me with the 9 reviews i got, so thank you! think we can do it again, for two updates this week? **

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"And so, if we carry the decimal, we will get…." The teacher looked around expectantly at the faces of bored kids. Half of them were sleeping. Jason was doodling on a sheet of paper, looking bored out of his mind at the grade five math they were learning at the moment.

Why their teach, Mrs. Mathers, decided they need to learn this was a mystery to Piper, but she was having trouble staying awake herself— with her ADHD and the basic math she really wanted to just sleep.

"Jason, can you tell us the answer?" Mathers asked in her annoyingly sweet voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

"One hundred and thirty," Jason answered, not even raising his head from his drawing. Mathers frowned and walked over to him, grabbing the drawing from his desk and causing Jason to draw a long line down the paper from where his pen had been touching it. He looked up in surprise.

"You ruined the shield!" he moaned, squinting quizzically at the Spartan warrior he was drawing. It was in great detail, shield locked in position and spear bristling. Mathers ignored him, crumpling up the paper and shoving it back at Jason, who pouted at his ruined drawing. He caught Piper's eyes and she shot him a sympathetic look, trying to tell herself that the fake sulking face he had on was not making her stomach do flips.

Three seats to her right, Leo was indulged in his own projected, folding pieces of paper into a miniature fleet and lining them up in neat rows on his desk. Each of them had a different design to them and they all had a small flame painted onto their wing.

Dylan, who was sitting directly in front of her, was sitting straight up with a dumb grin on his face, staring at the board with what seemed like all his attention. Isabel was casting regular glances in Jason's direction, and it was making Piper's blood boil.

All in all, it was a pretty pathetic excuse for math class.

Piper glanced at the wall clock— thirty-eight minutes to go until they were done. She sighed and slumped on her arms, sending another glance towards Jason. It struck her she was doing exactly the same thing as Isabel, but he caught her eye and smiled. Her body filled with warmth and she found herself smiling back.

He turned back towards the front, still smiling slightly, and ripped another piece of paper from the portfolio they had been given at the beginning of the day. He re-started his picture of the Spartan, starting at the shield in short, quick strokes.

Technically, they were supposed to be taking notes, but Piper wasn't bothering, nor was anyone in her class. The work was so basic Piper was actually longing for a challenge.

Finally, the class was over. Piper packed up her books quickly, stretching once she was done. Jason was carefully folding up his picture, slowly, precisely, making sure not to mess it up. When he was done he shoved it into his pocket, grabbed his books and left, but not before giving a brief, sarcastic smile at Piper and gesturing to the board. She laughed and followed him out, about five feet down the hall to the next class— survival.

"Any clue what this is?" Leo asked, appearing next to her holding his book in his hand. About twenty paper airplanes were tucked under his arm, and Piper was wondering if he had something planned with them, or if he was just making them for kicks.

"We learn to survive," Piper answered dryly, and Leo laughed, leading her over to where Jason was sitting. He sat down next to his roommate and Piper sat down next to him, slightly disappointed she wasn't next to Jason, who had already taken out his drawing and was working on it.

"ALRIGHT!" the teacher yelled from up front, slamming his books down and startling Jason. He jumped and left a line down his drawing. Piper could see him swear under his breath as he leaned to carefully erase it.

"My name is Mister Burnyay," the teacher continued, in a slightly lower tone. "Over the course of the next three months, I will be teaching you how to survive in the harshest, hardest, meanest environments in the world."

"The boys change room?" Leo asked innocently. Jason, next to him, ducked his head to hide his grin as snickers broke out across the class. Burnyay, however, didn't see the funny side to it.

"You think this is a joke?" he bellowed. Leo almost certainly would have replied with a cheeky _yup_, but Burnyay kept talking. "What would you do if you were stuck in the Amazon jungle, were the bugs would eat you alive?"

"Bring bug spray?" Leo suggested. Burnyay's eyes popped out even more.

"What would you do, Leo Valdez, if I were to drop you in the middle of the Alaska wilderness, where there's no shelter for mile and you have nothing to build a fire with?"

Leo muttered something under his breath, something that sounded like _wouldn't worry about that, _though Piper couldn't be sure. Louder, he said: "Cuddle up to a wolf?"

Again, snickers broke out through the classroom. Burnyay, obviously realizing he couldn't beat the boy, went for a different method of getting the best of Leo.

"Detention."

"For you or for me?" Leo shot back, and this time Piper couldn't contain her laugh. It burst from her mouth, and he was pleased to find she wasn't the only one. The whole class, including Jason and Isabel, were laughing at his wit, while Leo just sat there with a self-satisfied smirk on his face while Burnyay fumed over a detention slip. Finally getting it finished, he handed it to Leo, his eyes daring the boy to say something, but Leo kept his mouth shut.

"As I was saying," Burnyay snapped, going to stand at the front of the classroom. "I'm going to teach you how to survive—"

Piper sat through the rest of the class passing notes to Jason behind Leo's back. He new what they were doing, but besides a few suggestive smirks towards Piper, he didn't say anything, just sat there folding up his paper airplanes with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

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**Leo, Leo, Leo. What id he up to this time? find out next chapter, which could be on friday if i get nine reviews!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Long time, no type, yeah? How's everyone been? anyone sinking into a post Mark of Athena depression like me? does anyone happen to have a spare flux compasitor lying around? TARDIS? Vortex manipulator? Really, really good House of Hades fic?**

**Sorry, I'm a bit desperate for the next book and can't think of anything. Honestly, you would think i would learn not to finish books in a day, but alas. Depression settles in. Not to worry, though, it'll only last a couple of months. **

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The next morning, Piper awoke to find, once again, the boys were in her room. Jason was standing by the door looking tired and still somehow adorable. Leo was by the window with a plastic bag full of something.

Piper suddenly realized the whole room was filled by a roaring, rushing sound that filled every space. She noticed Jason's was flapping around him and realized two things: the window was open, and they were in gale-force winds.

"Leo, _what_ are you doing?" She asked, sitting up and rubbing her blurry eyes. She felt a blush creeping onto her face as she realized she was in just a tank top and sweat pants, and Jason was in the room. She quickly hid below the covers again.

"Your window is pointing north!" Leo yelled over the deafening roar of the wind. He was currently working on the window, trying to free to screen from the sill with a screwdriver and an exacto knife. "The wind is blowing east! It's perfect!"

"You know how Leo was folding all those paper airplanes?" Jason asked from his position by the doors. Isabel and the others were clearly awake but wanted no part in this, settling instead for staring at Jason.

"Yeah," Piper nodded, remembering how it was all he had done throughout the day, and in detention, and at lunch… pretty much all the time.

"Well…" Jason said. "Turns out—"

"Wind storm, baby!" Leo yelled happily, finally yanking off the screen on the window and throwing it to the ground. The wind blew in with renewed force, knocking over the lamp and Isabel's make-up mirror. "Realized it yesterday! Ninety-mile an hour winds, the forecasts were saying."

"Oh, god," Piper said, the realization of Leo's plan dawning on her. He nodded brightly as he saw she had gotten it.

"Each of the has a different insult written on them!" he exclaimed. And then he grabbed the paper bag and dumped its contents on the ground. The he picked up the first paper airplane and threw it sideways out the window, with the wind.

Jason joined in and Piper jumped to her feet to help as they hurled the seemingly endless supply of paper airplanes out the window. It shouldn't have been that fun, but something about it— the wind in her face, Leo's maniacal grin and Jason's warmth next to her, the laughter that was coming out of their mouths… it just made her feel like she belonged, something she hadn't felt in a long, long time.

Jason's hand brushed against hers, and she jumped a little bit at the feeling. For a single, breathless second, she thought he was going to take her hand, but then he grabbed another paper airplane and threw it out the window, leaving Piper disappointed and Jason still clueless.

Finally, Leo hurled the last airplane out the window. Maybe he had superb aim, or maybe it was just lucky, but the airplane sailed clean through the small crack in Coach Hedge's office window and sat there.

"Bulls-eye!" He yelled happily. Then he turned around to Piper and Jason. "Come on!"

"Where?" Jason asked. He looked as confused as Piper did, which made her feel less left out on the prank. Isabel, Ana and Lea were still huddled against the opposite wall, glaring at them.

"You messed up my hair!" Ana yelled at Leo as he turned to leave, waving around the messy, tangled clump that she had clutched in her fist.

"So sorry," Leo smirked, before breezing past her with Jason in tow. Piper hurried after them, but in her rush she missed Isabel sticking out a foot and tripping her. Face burning, Piper hurried after Jason and Piper, ignoring the snickers from behind her.

Leo sprinted through the building, with Jason easily keeping up and Piper struggling. Finally, Leo led them around a bend and stopped so suddenly Jason skidded to a halt. Piper crashed into him from behind, sending him toppling over with Piper on top of him.

"Oh, um…" Jason said, his face flushing bright red as he looked up at her. Piper realized their faces were just inches apart. She was acutely aware of everything— his breath tickling her cheek, their bodies pressed together, how she really, _really_ wanted to kiss him right now.

"Sorry," Jason stuttered, rolling off of her. Piper felt disappointment fill her body and shook it off quickly. Leo was half smirking, half glaring at them, which was a really weird thing to see on someone's face.

"Make a bunch of noise, why don't you?" He muttered in a whisper.

"Where are we?" Piper asked, catching on and whispering as Jason helped her to her feet. They went over to Leo and ducked behind the corner. Down the hall was a single door.

"That's Coach Hedge's office," Leo grinned. "I tried to break in, but he had a deadbolt on it, so I couldn't pick the lock."

"And we're here because…?"

"Well, he's going to look out his window and see the paper airplanes everywhere, particularly strewn over his desk, and he's most likely going to freak out," Leo grinned. "And I don't know about you, but I want to be here for that."

Suddenly, a load smash sounded from the room, followed by a couple of clangs and the sound of a chair being thrown. Leo dissolved into fits of laughter as they heard Coach Hedges voice:

"WHAT IS THIS?" He bellowed, taking another swing with his baseball bat. "Never, in— well— I've bee here a year, and I've never seen anything like this!"

He appeared to be talking to himself, though Piper wondered if there was anyone else in the office. If so, she felt sorry for him.

"Paper airplanes across the lawn!" Hedge continued to rant, taking yet another swing with his bat. Piper heard a crash and guessed the Coach had just smashed his window. This was followed by more swearing. "One on my desk! I'm going to get every one of them cupcakes, and make them run laps until they—"

Too late, the three of them realized that the door was swinging opened. Leo, who was still shaking with now silenced laughter, managed to duck behind the corner, but Piper was too slow. Jason and Leo bolted, but before Piper could the coach caught sight of her. His eyes bugged out of his head, and he looked furious.

"MCLEAN!" he screamed. Thankfully, he had left his bat in his office, or maybe it had fallen out of his hands, but the good thing was it wasn't in his hands.

Piper new there was no sense in running, so she stood where she was as the coach steamed closer. He would have looked a lot more intimidate if he wasn't a good three inches shorter than her.

"You're coming with me," he growled, grabbing her arm. "And you're cleaning up every single one of those airplanes. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," Piper muttered miserably, although she still had to hide her smirk. It had been one of the best days she had had in the past year.

They rounded another corner, and Jason was standing there defiantly, hands on his hips and an adorable half-smile dancing on his lips.

"Grace!"

"Yes, sir?" Jason asked. His voice was innocent but there was a hint of mischief there that made Piper wonder what he was up to.

"What are you doing here?" Hedge asked gruffly. His anger was subsiding slightly, although he still looked furious.

"Not much," Jason shrugged. "Just admiring my handiwork." He jerked his shoulder, pointing out the window to the mess of paper airplanes. The wind was still howling, picking them up and tossing them every which way.

The Coaches eyes bugged out again. "_This was you?_"

"What?" Jason challenged. "Can't take a joke?"

"You can help miss McLean clean up _every last airplane_," The coach snarled. Piper had no idea why Jason was going this, but she appreciated it just the same.

"Ooooh, you're really punishing me there," Jason smirked. "Making me spend quality time with a pretty girl. Man, I had no idea prison could be so harsh."

If not for the look on Coach Hedge's face, Piper probably would have laughed. Instead, she settled for flushing a deep red at the compliment.

"Right then," The coach snarled. "Outside, both of you. Try not to get sucked up in the winds, as that might cause me paperwork." He shoved Piper in the back, sending her stumbling forwards towards the nearest door. Jason was already there, struggling to push the door open against the wind.

Piper caught his eye and mouthed _thank you._ He just grinned, and in that moment, Piper realized she had fallen for him.

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**And there we have it. Actually decently pleased with this peice of work, although I'm still struggling for ideas. Next chapter will pick up write after this one, although it'll probably be short. Last two chapters, we got seventeen reviews! that doubled this stories reviews and really made me happy. Think we can do it again? Half of my followers (10) for an insta-update! Come on, ten reviews. We can do it. **

**Review please! they help me out of my Post MoA depression**


	8. Chapter 8

**BAM! got home at nine today, checked my reviews and realized i had 11 for the new chapter. You guys absolutely blew me away. As promised, here's a new chapter, with excessive ( i hope) amounts of Jasper fluff. Don't worry, it's only about ten, fifteen chapters until they get together :D **

**You know what's going to take even longer? TLAT to update **

**You know what'll take even longer? The next Lorien Legacies book to come out. **

**You know what'll take even longer? the House of Hades. Kill. Me. Now.**

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"This is utterly horrible," Jason said, and Piper laughed at the try tone he was using. They were lying on their backs on the soft patch of sand in the middle of the courtyard where the paper airplanes that had been released. They were all cleaned up now— except for one, which Jason kept in his pocket as a souvenir.

They were done, but instead of going back inside and taking excersize and positive reinforcement, they were lying in the grass talking. Once again, Piper was acutely aware of Jason next to her, their hands brushing and their shoulders touching. The sunlight gleamed off his hair and the sky was exactly the same colour as his eyes— clear blue, full of depth and mystery.

"I know," she responded at length. "How could the coach be so cruel?"

"Nothing worse than lying outside in the sunlight with Piper McLean," Jason said. His face scrunched up after a moment. "Your name sound familiar."

Dread shot through her, but she tried to hide it. "Piper?" She asked casually. "It's a pretty common name, I guess. I'm Cherokee, so it's even more common there."

"No, that's not it," Jason frowned. "Your last name, McLean. McLean. Mc-Lean. _McLean._" He said it over and over again, different pronunciations and tempos, trying to figure out where he new it from while Piper sat there hoping he wouldn't.

Suddenly, Jason sat bolt upright and stared at her, wide eyed. "Tristan McLean!" he said happily. "Your dad is freaking Tristan McL—"

Piper tackled him to the ground, one had covering his mouth and the other hand smacking him in the shoulder. Surprised, Jason rolled over, laughing.

"Don't yell it out for everyone to hear!" Piper hissed angrily, glaring at him, although it was hard. His eyes twinkled in the light and he looked so handsome and playful, so full of energy is was impossible to be mad at him.

"Sorry," he grinned. "It's just, that's really cool. Have you ever been o a movie set?"

This is why Piper hated her dad being famous. As soon as people found out, it was like she didn't exist anymore. It was 'your dad' this and 'your dad' that. Sometimes she thought people were only her friends for that reason. She didn't think Jason would do that to her— at least she hoped not— but she noticed how quickly he had gone from complimenting her to wanting to know about he famous, movie-star dad.

"Sorry," Jason said, catching the look in her eye and reading it perfectly. "You probably don't like that. I can relate… I think…" he looked confused for a second, and then shook it off. "I won't talk about it, if you don't want."

"It's fine," Piper shrugged, although she was glad he had stopped. It made her feel like Jason actually wanted to be her friend— the first real friend she had had in ages. "What do you mean, you could relate?"

"I'm not really sure," he frowned. "But never mind." Piper thought he was going to bring up the subject of her dad, but he just lay down again. "We probably have another forty-five minutes before the coach comes to check of it. Let's make the most of it."

The way he said that sent possibilities racing through her mind, none of them school appropriate, but she lay down next to him and tried to push them away.

"Look!" Jason said, pointing up. "That cloud looks like a dragon!" Piper frowned and tilted her head, trying to see it.

"You're delusional," she told him. "It's _clearly_ an eagle."

"Nope, I don't think so," Jason frowned. "The wind's blowing now. Now it's more of a… he turned. "It's like the hand of god or something." Piper laughed and lay down again.

For the next twenty minutes, that was all they did— lay there, talking and gazing at clouds. Piper felt kind of foolish, but she also felt comfortable, like being silly with Jason was all right.

"I wish we could freeze time," Jason said. "Just stay out here forever."

"That would be great," Piper agreed, sighing. Lying here forever with Jason next to her, talking and gazing at clouds. "Check, there might be an app for that." She could feel his shoulder shaking with laughter next to her, and wished they were in such a position she could see his face light up.

Another ten minutes lapsed into a comfortable silence between the two. Piper was hungry, but it was worth it. Food or Jason— it wasn't even a contest. She would happily starve herself for a couple of minutes with him.

The wind had died down rapidly after the storm, so now only a gentle breeze blew across the courtyard, ruffling her hair and keeping her cool from the beating sun. Piper couldn't believe how quickly it had changed— a giant storm coming, and then nothing at all, almost like someone had pulled a switch, like there was some sort of master of the winds sitting out there controlling them.

And then footsteps sounded around the corner of the courtyard. Before Piper could react, Jason sprang to his feet, kicked the bag of paper airplanes over and threw them as far as they could. Piper jumped to her feet as well, catching on and starting to pick up the airplanes, moving as slowly as she could.

Coach Hedge appeared around the corner, looking grimly satisfied. Piper realized they had missed excersize and wondered what sort of torture he had put the other students through.

"What took you so long?" he grunted, but the anger was gone. "Hurry up and finish off, you're halfway through positive reinforcement."

Jason and Piper hurried around, stuffing the paper airplanes into the bag under Coach Hedge's watchful eye. They were down quickly and Coach Hedge took the bag from them, telling them it was too late to go to positive reinforcement so they might as well go to their dorms.

Grinning, Jason pushed open the door inside and held it for Piper. "What a pity," he said sarcastically. "I was really looking forwards to positive reinforcement."

"Me too," Piper laughed. Jason smiled shyly.

"You don't need it," he said, before wheeling around and walking off quickly, almost embarrassed. Piper stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what that meant. Did he think she was pretty? Is that what he had been trying to say?

No, he couldn't like her. He was too… perfect. Perfect in every way, while she was Piper. Ratty, troublesome Piper, who suffered from ADHD and couldn't stay in school for more than a year.

And yet… there was still a little part of her that hoped, against all odds, that someday she would date Jason. Someday, everything would work out.

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**Eh. Filler chapter that'll probably get a lot of hate, so before you flamers start yelling at me— this was written in half an hour when i had no bloody clue what i was typing. YOu know sometimes you really get in the swing of it, and you can't seem to stop? yeah, this wasn't one of those times. **

**Anyways, i can't promise i'll do the same thing if i get ten reviews, but REVIEW!**

**p.s ten points to anyone who caught the two HoO references in that chapter. **


	9. Chapter 9

**So, I can't say how grateful I am for all the reviews I've gotten. You guys are the best! To anyone who cares: i started another story, call Brotherband. This one's Percabeth, and i would greatly appreciate reviews :)**_  
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**This peice of writing has to be the worst chapter i've put up for this story. Sorry about that. I'm just not really feeling inspired to write this anymore. Don't worry, I'm not discontinuing it, but It probably wont be as good as it used to be. **

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_Two weeks later_

The bus trundled along the dirt rode, bouncing back and forth of fifty-year-old suspension. Piper sat in the very back with Jason next to her and Leo crammed in beside them. Piper was positively beaming; she had spent the last hour half-asleep with her head resting on Jason's shoulder.

She realized she shouldn't be that happy, but she had just gotten closer and closer to him over the last two weeks. And if she wasn't wrong, he liked her as well, unless she was delusional. The bump again and one of the ear buds fell out of Piper's ears. She put it back in absent-mindedly. They had about thirty minutes left on the bus ride, but they had left at five a.m and she would be happy if she could sleep for the rest of it.

According to Coach Hedge, who was leading the 'educational trip', they were going to the National Atomic Testing museum. As soon as Leo learned this, his eyes lit up like Christmas and Jason had to tell him that no, he was not allowed to blow up a national museum. Piper wasn't really looking forwards to the trip either; she was ADHD, and museums were usually horrible for her.

"Are we there yet?" Jason yawned from next to her. He blinked as he woke up, looking around the bus and out the window. The featureless desert rolled by, mile after dreary mile, but in the distance they could make out a collection of grey buildings, about twenty kilometers from where they were. With a bump, the bus switched from old dirt path to an actual paved road.

"Soon," Piper told him. Leo wasn't paying attention to either of them. He was absorbed in a little black box that he had. It looked sort of like a speaker, although Piper didn't have a clue where he would get the components to make one. They had computer class once a week, but they were old P.C's that took half the class to boot up and the other half to shut log in, so they never really learned anything. Piper was sure Leo wouldn't ransack one of those just for… whatever he was planning.

The last two weeks had been boring, Piper reflected, although not as bad as she had thought the Wilderness School would be. It might have been due to the fact that she actually made friends for once in her life, or maybe because of the fact she actual felt normal around these people. They were like her: didn't fit in, troubled youths who most of the time were just looking for attention. Jason, Leo and her seemed to click almost unnaturally well, considering Piper had never been good in the 'making friends' department, which was odd because her dad was a movie star.

"Hey, Jason," Leo said, interrupting her thoughts. He waggled the little black device. "Do you think you could get Coach Hedge's attention for long enough that I can attach this onto his baseball bat?"

"Leo, whatever you're planning, it's a bad idea," Jason told him immediately. "Hedge already wants to kill you."

"Eh," Leo shrugged. "Look at them. They're all depressed. It's my duty to cheer them up." Jason thought about it for a second as they neared the grey buildings. Finally, he sighed loudly.

"Fine," he muttered. "Just this once, though."

"You know that's not true," Piper grinned, nudging him lightly. Jason grinned at her, making her heart flutter. She really wanted to just lean in and kiss him right now, Leo or no Leo. She could almost feel his lips against hers, his hands on her cheek, her body pressed against his. She was sure if she did, he wouldn't push her away— he might actually like it. Then they could be together, and Piper would be happy.

Trying to loose these thoughts, she focused on the cluster of buildings outside the window. One of them was low and wide, in a perfect circle. It looked more like a hockey stick than anything.

"That's a particle accelerator," Jason told her. She looked over, surprised, and he continued. "They whiz them around really quickly and see what happens when two of them collide."

"And you know this how?" Leo asked pessimistically.

"We studied it in school," Jason said. "Apparently in Switzerland they have a massive one of these, and they got a couple of atoms up to the speed of light."

Piper raised her eyebrows, impressed. Coach hedge stood up and pulled his megaphone from his hip.

"All right, cupcakes!" he bellowed. The kids in the front rows winced from the noise. "This is the National Atomic Testing museum, which is apparently number six on the best educational places to travel in the United States." He looked dubious. "Of course, if it were up to me I would stick you in a boxing ring, but there are rules against that sort of thing." He frowned in obvious disappointment, before continuing. "We will be going on a six-hour tour through the museum. You've all been handed a three-page worksheet, which I expect to be filled out by the end of the tour." There were several groans throughout the bus, including Leo. The Coach continued his instructions.

"All right, everyone outside," he ordered as the bus pulled to a stop. There was a perky, blonde woman waiting for the outside. They were the last people to get off the bus, and to Piper's annoyance the lady smiled brightly at Jason, who returned it hesitantly.

"I'm Miss Kerr!" The lady announced happily. Piper saw Jason start towards Coach Hedge with Leo following slightly behind, moving on light feet. Jason went up to the Coach and asked him something cautiously, his eyes darting over to Leo every now and then. The question was probably something about sports, because the Coach's eye lit up and he gave Jason a lengthily answer for his question, including had motions and demonstrations. Leo had plenty of time to sneak up and strap the little device to the middle of the baseball bat, where it blended in with the black. He then scampered away, Jason following a couple of minutes later.

"I'll be your tour guide for today," Miss Kerr told them cheerfully. "We're going to be looking at some very interesting things today, such as the accelerating chamber and a hour-long lecture by Mr. Perciville—" Leo snickered—"On the importance of this facility." She looked at Coach Hedge, who took over.

"Right!" He bellowed. "You're all going to listen carefully to Miss Kerr and do exactly as she says. Anyone who steps out of line…" he swung his bat threateningly. It would have been ominous, although the bat made a loud _Wheeeeeeeeeeeee _as it swung through the air. Laughter rippled through the group as the coach stared at his bat. He experimentally bobbed it up and down, but nothing happened. Then he swung in again at full speed. The same sound came again.

"Never mind!" the Coach said gruffly. "Follow Miss Kerr, everyone!" She beamed and started walking towards the building, with the group in tow. Leo was snickering to himself as they walked as the coach inspected his bat with a confused expression on his face.

"That was you, wasn't it?" Piper whispered as they went in. Leo nodded, obviously pleased with himself.

"Someone's got to lighten the mood around here," he answeredbrightly as they followed the group inside for the tour.

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**Sorry for the bad ending, but i had no clue what i was writing and i didn't know where to stop it. If i didn't end it there it would've gone on a lot longer and it would have been a while before i updated.**

**I apologize again for the crappy chapter, and i hope the next one will be better. Even though it was good, review :DDD**


	10. Chapter 10

**New chapter! Yay! **

**Wow, I've updated three times today. Three different stories, all updated within five hours. Fans, you're welcome. **

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The tour was, as predicted, boring as hell. Ms. Kerr led them through the museum first, which would have been cool had it not been fifty degrees inside and stuffed with giant models of motors and atoms. Leo was trudging along, half asleep, and Jason wasn't far behind. Piper herself was trying to stay awake by focusing on good things: the promise of lunch soon, the was Coach Hedge's face was still beet-red from the baseball bat incident, and how Jason's face looked so peaceful right now. He was half leaning against Leo, pen in one hand and worksheet clutched loosely in the other. He clearly had written nothing down and neither had Piper, mainly because none of the answers had been mentioned yet. She supposed they could be on the plasterboard explanation cards that were stuck at every model, but they were in size six font and way too hard to read on her dyslexic eyes, so she gave up.

"This is an expanded model of the particle measurer, found inside the hand-held radar guns we can use to measure speeds," Miss Kerr announced brightly, pointing to a six-foot model of something that looked incredible complex. Piper found it hard to believe that they could compress that down into a tiny device and stick it into a radar gun. "And over here…" Miss Kerr pointed out another model and the group shuffled forwards to turn towards it. Miss Kerr launched into an explanation, but Piper wasn't paying any attention. She walked next to Jason, who was leaning against Leo with his eyes closed.

"Hey," he yawned as she got closer, keeping his voice down so he wouldn't annoy Coach Hedge, who was standing a few feet off, looking about as bored as Piper felt. Leo had a single earphone in his ear and was tapping his foot to the music while his hands drummed out the beat on his legs. Piper tried not to notice how cute Jason looked tired but failed miserably as her eyes were drawn to his. He smiled tiredly at her and she felt her heart leap.

At first when she got sent to the Wilderness School, she thought it was going to be just like all the other boarding schools her dad sent her too— boring, repetitive, no friends, always getting in trouble. So far it was boring and she got in trouble enough, but she had a couple of friends and with Leo, things were _never_ boring. Another thing— Leo and Jason didn't care she was different. They didn't mind she was a troubled kid, or that her dad was a celebrity. Leo might throw in the often tease, but Piper had grown used to it over fifteen years. Jason did a good job of not caring at all, and if he did he didn't show it. He and Piper were getting closer all the time, although he seemed completely oblivious to the hints she was throwing him. She couldn't really blame him, though— he was a guy, and they had never been the best at that kind of stuff.

"McLean!" Hedge yelled from a couple meters away. "Stop staring at Grace and pay attention!" Piper felt her face flush bright red at the fact that she had been caught staring at Jason. Thankfully, he was doing the same, although it was still embarrassing. She mumbled something close to an apology and faced the front, stealing a quick, amused grin at Jason, who smiled back. Leo was silently laughing at the pair of them.

Over the last couple of weeks, Piper had come to terms with two things: one, she definitely liked Jason as more than a friend. Two, Leo knew and teased her at every opportunity. Even thought it was great being friends with the two boys, Piper wished she had a friend who was a girl, to give her advice with Jason. She had no experience with boys, except for when she was four and a boy proposed to her, but she didn't think that counted. She really wanted someone to help her get Jason, because she had never felt this way about someone before. That was probably because most of the boys she had met previously were stuck-up, spoiled snobs who were sent to boarding schools because their rich daddies were too busy to look after them— kind of like Piper.

Except she tried her hardest _not_ to be like that. She disregarded all of her dads attempts to shower her in make-up and fancy clothes, instead cutting her hair uneven and wearing the rattiest things she could. Some people might say she was ungrateful, but she was just trying to make a point. She was her own person, and just because she was born into the life of a superstar didn't mean she had to be one. For ages she had yearned to be a normal girl— even trying some of the stuff her dad gave her to fit in— but when she realized that wasn't going to happen due to her ADHD and habit of getting in trouble, she shut herself out from people in general and even backing off a bit from her dad. She didn't like doing it, but she couldn't help it.

The tour continued out of the museum and into a large room, with rows of two desks going back about fifty feet. Piper did a quick count and realized there were enough desks for everyone in their group— about thirty, maybe a couple more.

"Alright," Miss Kerr said brightly. "I understand you already have a worksheet that you have to fill out, so right now we're going to sit down and give you a crossword puzzle! Isn't that exciting?" Piper caught Leo's eye and smirked as most of the students looked at Miss Kerr with doubt and disbelief.

"Get into pairs!" Hedge barked gruffly. He swung his bat threateningly, ignoring the _Wheeeeeeeeeee_ that resounded, and the students scrambled for desks. Jason sat down, motioning for Piper to sit down next to him, but Isabel beat her to it. She sank down beside Jason, smirking at Piper as she did so. Piper grit her teeth, but before she could do anything Leo dragged her into the nearest desk. It was probably a good thing, too, because Piper was on the verge of decking her, which would get her in a lot of trouble.

She turned away as Isabel pressed herself as close to Jason as physically possible. He looked uncomfortably around, like _help_. He inched away from Isabel, but she was like a parasite— clinging to him as if he were her lifeline. Thankfully, she got off when the coaches shoe sailed over her head. Blushing, she bowed her head to the crossword puzzle that Miss Kerr was handing out. Piper looked down at her own as it slid onto her desk.

"I think this would be easier if I actually paid attention during the tour," Leo whispered, and she smirked. It was true though, she knew none of the answers to the questions in front of her. The same seemed to be for every other student in the classroom; they were all staring blankly at their sheets.

"This device is the center of most machines and help them function to their full extent," Leo read. "Five letters. Oh, I know this one!" he scribbled _motor_ and grinned at Piper. "See, this isn't that hard."

Rolling her eyes, Piper wrote in the answer and tried to ignore how Isabel was once again draped over Jason. It shouldn't annoy her, it really shouldn't… but it did. She was still fighting off the urge to deck Isabel.

"These microscopic objects make up everything and everything in the world," Leo read, frowning. "Eight letters."

"Particle," Piper said immediately. Leo let out an _Ahhh, _before writing in the answer. She tried to focus on the next question, but the letters were dancing off the page in front of her. She shook her head and squinted, but still could make them out. Stupid dyslexia.

Beside her, Leo seemed to have lost interest in the crossword puzzle and was using his pencil and an elastic band to launch pieces of eraser at people. Piper grinned as he nailed Isabel in the side of the head, causing her to look around and glare at Leo. He grinned cheekily.

"Do you think I could hit her with this?" Leo asked, holding up a metal nut. Piper grinned and nodded. The nut could actually hurt, but she wasn't worried about that. Isabel deserved it, and plus, she had such a thick skull that it probably wouldn't effect her.

Leo drew back the pencil and aimed carefully, before checking that Coach Hedge wasn't watching and letting it fly through the air. Piper winced, thinking that it was going to hit Jason, but the nut seemed to curve as it flew, before striking Isabel in the temple.

"Bulls-eye!"

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**Last cahpter was a bit of a disappointment — only five reviews! Oh no! Do you guys think we could get eight reviews this chapter? I think so. Please? because i updated three stories in one day? Pretty please? **

**Eight reviews to bring us up to sixty!**

**REVIEW**


	11. Chapter 11

**You guys are amazing! fifteen reviews on one chapter, and here i was thinking no one liked this story any more :D **

**I've somehow managed to stick with my promise of weekly updates for all three of my stories, although it means the actual book I'm writing is n a sort of hiatus. Oh well. **

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"It was worth it."

"I hate you."

"It was worth it."

"I still hate you."

"Come on, admit it. It was _totally_ worth it."

"Fine."

Jason, Piper and Leo were running the track outside the Wilderness School while the rest of the pupils sat inside, safe from the pouring rain. Piper and Leo were arguing, while Jason watched with an irked expression. He looked cute, with the water making his hair run flat and plaster itself to his head. He had shed his t-shirt because it was heavy with the rain, and Piper was trying _really _hard not to stare at his chest.

Trying. Not succeeding.

"I still don't know why I got dragged into this," he grumbled adorably. Leo snorted.

"Maybe falling out your chair with laughter when I nailed Isabel in the head?"

"Touché." He cast his eyes towards Piper, and she was suddenly self-aware that her own shirt was sticking to her chest with water. She felt a blush creeping up onto her cheeks, but thankfully Jason didn't notice. He just smiled and went back to running. It was pretty clear to Piper that the two boys were slowing down so she could keep pace, but she appreciated it all the same.

"One lap left," Leo panted as they passed the back of the dormitories again, where they had started running. Instead of detention or a note home like any normal teacher would, the coach had given them fifteen punishment laps of the four-hundred-meter track. It worked out to around six kilometers, more than Piper had ever run before in her life.

"Race you," Jason challenged, and the two boys took off through the rain, leaving Piper in the dust. She was too tired to chase after them so she continued at her jog, finishing a couple minutes later to find the two boys standing at the front of the track, arguing over who won.

"You cheater!" Jason argued, although he was grinning. Piper's heart did a little dance when she saw this.

"I played fair," Leo retorted, although his smirk suggested differently.

"Pushing me into a puddle is 'fair'?" Jason demanded. Piper noticed that he was splattered in mud and even wetter than he had been. There was a little speck on his chin and Piper resisted the urge to lean across and wipe it off.

"Survival of the fittest, man," Leo shrugged. He turned to go back into the building and Jason grabbed his wet t-shirt, winding it up and then snapping it out with a clean flick of his wrist.

"Ow!"

Jason grinned at Leo as he flicked the towel in the back, barely catching Leo in the arm. Enough to sting, but not enough to leave a mark that Coach Hedge could see. Leo yelped and glared at Jason, who smiled cheekily in response. Piper laughed quietly to herself as she followed a couple of footsteps behind them, definitely _not_ admiring Jason's shoulders.

And yet she knew there was only a certain amount of time she could ridicule herself about not liking Jason. She pretended that she wasn't staring at him in class, or wondering what it would feel like to kiss him, or replaying their last conversation over and over in her head, but in reality, she was. She just had to figure out how to get him to notice her as more than a friend, and life would be good.

Coach Hedge appeared in the doorway as Leo shoved it open, rubbing his arm from Jason's flicks. "Grace!" Hedge yelled, which was completely unnecessary considering Jason was two feet away. "What are you doing?"

"Walking inside, sir?" Jason asked unsurely. Hedge narrowed his eyes ad Jason.

"What are you doing with your shirt, boy?" Jason looked down meekly and seemed to realize what the Coach was getting at as he looked at his dripping wet shirt.

"Oh."

"That's right," Coach said smugly. "Ten more laps, off you go." Jason looked up in disbelief, but the Coaches face said he better not argue. Leo stuck out his tongue as Jason dropped his shirt and began to jog towards the track, muttering a string of insults under his breath.

Linebreak

Piper couldn't help but laugh as Jason walked back in to the dorm, his face a thundercloud. He was completely soaked, and the scrapes on his arms suggested he had slipped on the track and fallen forwards. Piper asked him if he was okay, while Leo just laughed.

"I'm going to kill you, Valdez," Jason growled as he grabbed a towel from the bathroom shower and used it to dry himself off. They were seated in the rec room of the boys dorm, with the TV running. Piper had been thrilled to discover there was a TV at the Wilderness School, only to have her hopes crushed when she realized it only showed boring documentaries of wildlife and survival. Currently, the _Bear Grylls All-Around Survival Marathon_ was playing with the volume turned down.

Jason finally finished drying off and sank down into the chair opposite of Leo, still glaring. Leo had a cocky grin on his face. "Don't blame me just because you're not sneaky enough to beat me."

"You will die for this," Jason promised, relaxing in his chair and groaning. "Four more kilometers… I'm exhausted."

"What?" Leo feigned shock. "Superman can run out of energy?"

"He still has enough to punch you in the face," Jason muttered with his eyes closed. Unable to resist, Leo chirped:

"Just don't let Coach Hedge catch you," he teased. Jason cracked one eye lid and couldn't resist smiling, though reluctantly. He groaned as he straightened up in his chair and looked at Piper.

"What've you guys been up to while I was slaving out of the track?"

"Learning how to survive," Piper answered dryly, pointing to the TV. Jason seemed to notice it for the first time.

"We have a TV!"

"Don't get too excited," Leo smirked. "Unless you like watching documentaries about penguins, you're out of luck." Jason pouted, which was incredibly hot, and then shrugged.

"Eh. I don't need TV anyways."

"I do!" Leo cried, faking desperation. "I _need_ my TV, Jason. You don't understand. I need it."

"You're the builder in our group," Jason shrugged. "Rig up a TV antenna or something with duct tape and tin foil. I read that in a book once."

"I'm good," Leo said indignantly. "But I'm not _that _good. If you happen to want a catapult or miniature helicopter, I'm your man."

"I'll take three," Jason joked. They spent a couple of more minutes in silence, before the bell sounded outside. This signaled that Piper had to go back to her dorm for lights out. Grumbling, she got to her feet and headed for the door, bidding the other two goodnight.

"Time to go face Isabel," she grumbled. Jason smiled at her, making her heart leap.

"Tell us if you need any help," he said, and Piper nodded, before slipping outside the door and heading to her dorm. She would have to put up with a long night of Isabel talking and making fun of her until all hours, and then probably waking her up early with talk of makeup and boys. But in the morning, she would get to see Jason again.

With that thought in mind, she headed back to her dorm, jogging down the boys stairs and up the girls ones. Technically, she wasn't allowed to be in the boys dorm, and for this reason she ducked into the washroom as Coach Hedge walked by, swinging his bat and yelling.

"Lights off, Cupcakes! I'm walking up the stairs and if the lights aren't off by the time I get up there, I'll put out your lights, personally!" Piper could guess that he was swinging his bat. He was right outside the washroom now and Piper was trying hard not to make a sound. If she was discovered, it would no doubt mean laps, and maybe a whack on the thighs with his bat.

Piper could hear scrambling around upstairs as the boys hurried into their beds, shedding clothing and turning off electronics. Through the din, she could make out Leo's distinctive voice:

"_Quick! Hide the rum!" _

Piper stifled a laugh with great difficulty as Coach Hedge paused for a moment, before sprinting up the stairs.

"Valdez!"

Piper slipped out of the washroom and quickly walked up the stairs and into her dorm, checking over her back to make sure Hedge wasn't coming back down the stairs. He wasn't, and Piper slipped into her dorm without much trouble. Of course, Isabel was still up, washing her makeup off with a mirror and a tiny flashlight for light. She looked up at Piper.

"Oh look," she sneered. "It's the native trash!"

"Oh look," Piper sneered back. "It's a walking Barbie doll!" Isabel just giggled and went back to her makeup as Piper undressed and got ready for bed, brushing her teeth and putting her hair in a bun. Isabel feigned shock when she came out.

"Is that a new look, Piper?" She mocked. "You could get some boys with that, yes you could." Anna and Lea laughed on cue and stared at Piper pityingly.

"Maybe that Grace boy," Isabel continued, wiping off her lipstick and tossing the red-stained makeup remover cloth onto Piper's bed. She grit her teeth. "I could see you with him… you know, the two losers of the camp."

"Shut up," Piper growled, plucking the used cloth off her bed and throwing it at Isabel, who just laughed. Piper really wanted to shut her up, and her two friends as well, but she settled for lying in her bed and turning her back to the three.

"What'd you do to end up here, anyways?" Isabel asked her back. "Police arrest you for looking too ugly?"

This was going to be a long night.

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**If I didn't end it there, it would have been really hard to end, so yeah. What did you guys think? The chapters are slowly but surely getting longer :D**

**REVIEW**


	12. Chapter 12

**Alright, you guys are allowed to throw things at me. I'm sorry for not updating last week, but I had the worst writers block— I couldn't even start the chapter, let alone type it. Also, only three people reviewed, which didn't really inspire me that much. **

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She hated it, Piper realized.

She hated staring at Jason from across the classroom, watching his every move instead of paying attention to the teacher— a daft old lady who was babbling about the American Revolution. She wanted to _do _something— hold his hand or hug him or anything other than fantasize about what it would be like to be going out with him.

Leo obviously knew that she liked him— it must be pretty obvious, she thought. If it was, though, then why couldn't Jason see? Piper decided it was a rule about guys: when you wanted them to know something, they had no clue. When you wanted to keep a secret, it might as well be written in size 72 font across your forehead.

At least Leo had done a good job at keeping it a secret— besides a couple of suggestive looks when Piper and Jason were talking, he kept his mouth zipped as Piper was forced to stare from a distance at Jason.

She would have made a move, if not for the fact that she had absolutely no clue what to do. It was bad enough that whenever she thought of going out with him, she was suddenly tongue-tied and her mind went blank. She would have been happy to stay just friends, but her heart wasn't letting her. It was almost as if someone were influencing her mind, telling her that she needed Jason

Whatever it was, as much as she must hate it, Jason had her heart.

Linebreak

"Hey Jason?" Leo asked from where he was slouched on the couch, using one of the ancient DVD's as a clipboard to rest his homework sheet on.

"Yeah?"

"When did the American revolution happen?"

"You're kidding me, right?" Piper interjected, and Leo looked up from his paper, faking hurt.

"At least I don't go around saying I can ask politely and people will give me free stuff," Leo shot back, and Piper felt her face burn. Gritting her teeth, she turned away from Leo and focused on her book— or at least, she pretended to. Behind the pages, however, she was fuming. Why did everyone give her that response? Could _no one_ believe that, for some reason, people just did what she asked. It seemed a bit far-fetched, but with today's inventions— airplanes and space-ships and cell phones— why could no one wrap their heads around the concept of a little but of magic? It wasn't really magic, anyways, just persuasion— hypnotism almost. She didn't know how she did it, and she didn't even want to do it, so why could no one just leave it alone?

"I'm going for a walk," Piper said shortly, dumping her book on the chair and standing up quickly. Leo opened his mouth to say something but was stopped by Jason. Piper pushed open the door and rushed downstairs, pushing open the doors to outside and stepping out, reveling in the cool air that outside brought. She heard the door shut behind her and continued around the outside of the building towards the track. She felt hot pinpricks at the back of her eyes and shook her head vigorously.

Why was she getting so upset about this? It wasn't as if this was anything out of the ordinary— she had been made fun of all her life because of it. _Freak _and _witch_ were as much of her name as Piper was. But now it was different. Now these insults really hurt because she actually had friends, people she cared for and thought liked her back. That's why it really hurt when they insulted her, because she wasn't expecting it.

She didn't know where she was going' she just wanted to get away from it all for a moment. She wasn't worried about getting lost, either. They were in the desert and the Wilderness School was visible from seventy miles away in the daytime. She might have to spend the night out here, but at least it was better than spending the night cooped up with Isabel and her stupid friends.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and muffled a yelp as she turned to face whoever it was. She was expecting Leo, in which case she would tell him where to shove his apology, but it was Jason instead. His gold hair was reflected by the moonlight as he looked at her cautiously, almost like he expected her to yell at him. She was debating it, too, but in the end settled for letting her shoulders sag.

"What are you doing out here?" She asked. "I thought Leo needed your help."

"Leo can get his own help," Jason shrugged, moving so he was standing next to her. She was aware of how close they were— she could feel his body heat radiating into the cold air and his face was a few inches away from hers. She was suddenly very glad it was dark, so he couldn't see her blushing. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she shrugged, but it wasn't true. "I'm used to that kind of stuff." More lies. She was used to bullying. She wasn't used to bullying from her friends, maybe because she had never really _had _friends. That's why it stung so much— because she had never felt what it was like before.

"You're lying," Jason smiled, brushing shoulders with her. "I can tell, you know."

"I'm fine," Piper repeated, sounding annoyed when really, she was glad that Jason cared enough to follow her outside and comfort her. She had never had anyone do something like that for her, besides her dad.

Least of all her stupid mom, who couldn't even stay around when she was born to handle a kid. She had to run off and meet some other guy, maybe to do the whole thing over again. Whenever Piper thought about her mom, she felt sort of hollow inside, like she wasn't good enough for the mysterious woman who had given birth to her.

"Don't be mad at Leo," Jason advised. "He can be a bit… quick-thinking, sometimes, but he's just trying to make a joke. You know, lighten up the atmosphere. We need it."

"It's not the words that hurt," Piper shrugged, voicing her thoughts in a way she never had before. "It's just I never expected one of you guys to say it. Maybe from Isabel, or coach Hedge, but you guys are the only friends I've ever had. I thought I could trust you not to do that."

Then Jason did something that completely surprised her: he hugged her, wrapping his arms around her back and pulling her close.

_Oh. My. God. _

She was acutely aware of everything around her— Jason's warmth radiating onto her body, his fresh, crisp smell, their chests pressed tightly together.

And then, as soon as it was had started, it was over, Jason pulling away and smiling at her. His face looked so open and sincere, Piper just had to believe what he said next:

"Piper, you know I'd never hurt you on purpose. Neither would Leo. He was just joking around, and that's what he does. You know that as well as I do; that's how he communicates with people. He didn't mean any harm." The words washed over her in a soothing way, as if _he _were the one using whatever voodoo her voice had to comfort her. She relaxed slightly, smiling up at him.

"You're right," she admitted. "I just… overreacted, I guess. I'm new at this whole thing."

"Being bullied?" Jason asked, and although he kept his face clean, Piper could pick up a note of surprise in the voice. Letting it slide, she shook her head.

"Having friends," she smirked, and he chuckled. "I've never really had anyone who liked me, besides my dad. They all thought I was weird."

"Piper, I know you're weird," Jason laughed. "But that's why I like you, Piper. I just seem kinda drawn to you." She could swear that one sentence made her happier than she had been during her whole time at the Wilderness school.

"We should get inside," Jason suggested after a moments silence. "I'm starting to get cold." He shivered as if to prove his point.

"Me too," Piper nodded, and they headed for the door. Jason reached for it and pulled. The door resisted. He frowned and tugged harder on the handle, but nothing happened. He turned back towards Piper.

"Well…" he started awkwardly. "We seem to be locked outside."

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** I'm changing my updating schedule— it's just too much, three stories every week. I can barely manage it, and my school grades are dropping. So now I'm doing every other week. Sorry, guys. But it means the chapters will be longer. **

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	13. Chapter 13

**If you happen to be one of those awesome people who read/review/follow every single one of my stories, such as AthenaGreyEyes98 or maybe Dingy101, then perhaps you know the story of how my laptop broke down. If not, you could read A/N on brotherband chronicles to find out how Hermes saved my laptops life. And, while you're there, you may as well drop a review ;D**

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Piper stared at him for a second, not really comprehending what he had said. "Whaddya mean?"

"The door is locked," Jason explained patiently, acting like Piper was three. "And we're on the outside of it. Therefore, we're locked outside." He smirked at her, and she huffed.

So they were outside for the night, in the dark with no one else around. Pipers mind started wandering in places it probably shouldn't, and she looked away uncomfortably.

"We could try knocking," she suggested. "Except Coach will probably hear and then we'll be in trouble."

"Or we could spend the night out here," Jason grinned, looking up at the sky. "Come on, you have to admit that'd be cool. I mean, we could sleep in the grass, and my jacket will be a fine blanket for you…"

"What if you get cold?" Piper intervened, already warming up to the idea. She couldn't really see any flaws in it; a whole night with Jason, under the stars, the temperature was mild and she could spend some time to cool off before she saw Leo. Plus, after sleeping in five-star beds surrounded by cushy comforters her whole life, she couldn't imagine what it felt like to not have that.

"I'll be fine," Jason shrugged. "I'm kind of hot, actually…" he shrugged off the coat, and Piper gave in.

"Sure?" She grinned. "I don't see why not." She accepted the jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, enjoying the feeling of a little bit of Jason holding her. It would have been better if he himself had been warming her up, but for now his jacket would have to do. She inhaled deeply, taking in the crisp smell coming from the jacket.

"Where should we camp?" Jason asked, gesturing around the open area of the desert, miles and miles of possible spaces to sleep for the night. She had to admit, the desert seemed almost like a yawning mouth, ready to swallow her or suck her up if she ventured too far from the glowing haven of the Wilderness school. The sky looked infinite with only the faint light from the building behind them to dim the stars.

"Lets stay close." She shivered slightly, glad Jason couldn't see it in the darkness. He shrugged and led her over to the track, which ringed a large area of soft, slightly unkempt grass.

Piper almost jumped in fright as Jason took her hand in his, his larger one engulfing hers. Her stomach immediately turned into a mush and her heart started hammering against her ribcage so loud that Piper was surprised Jason couldn't hear it. Part of her wondered why Jason was holding her hand, but the rest of her mind quickly silenced it, basking in this moment.

"Don't want to lose you," Jason explained, and hint of nervousness to his voice. Piper smiled warmly and squeezed his hand lightly. They didn't say anything, and maybe it was just Piper's imagination, but she could swear some sort of invisible communication passed between the two of them. Piper was grinning like a fool as they lay down, still holding hands. She realized they probably wouldn't fall asleep like this, but she didn't care; it was nice all the same.

"Why the grin?" Jason asked from beside her, and when Piper turned her head their faces were inches apart. She could make out every detail in his face even in the dark, every ridge and bump that all seemed to be exactly where they were, as if he had been designed by a god.

"Uh…." She froze for a second, before registering his question and scrambling for an excuse. "Just excited to spend the night out here. Never done anything like this before."

"I have, I think," Jason frowned. For a second, Piper wanted to ask what he meant, but then the question slid from her mind like melted butter and she just shrugged. Why bother with things like that, she wondered, when she was lying in the grass outside holding hands with Jason? This definitely was not where she thought she would end up when Jane sentenced her to this stupid boarding school, but she wasn't complaining. It was way better to be holding hands with the super-cute guy than being the loser of the prison.

Well, maybe that wasn't completely right. She was the loser of the prison –boarding school– but at least she had a couple of friends with her this time. With Jason to stand up to Isabel for her and Leo to make dumb jokes and play pranks, who needed to be popular? Piper had never actually been popular before— people found her weird and dark, and she ha never pulled the _famous dad _card just to get friends. Her logic was if they were only her friend before that, they clearly weren't her actual friend. Instead of being the famous, desirable girl she could have been, she chose to be the kleptomaniac who sulked in the corners and stole for attention. And now she had an elf and a supermodel to keep her company.

"Penny for them," Jason said, noticing the lost look on her face. Piper turned around, surprised. It took her a moment to realize what he was saying.

"Oh," she stumbled, trying to collect her own thoughts. "Just, you know. Thinking about how weird it is to have friends." Jason laughed from beside her, but it wasn't mocking. It was gentle and friendly, almost like he understood her completely.

"You've never had friends, eh?" He mocked, raising an eyebrow at her. She punched him in the shoulder, but she was smiling as well. It was hard _not _to smile around Jason.

"Nope," she shook her head. "Most people treat me like Isabel does, but you and Leo made the mistake of socializing with me." She grinned. "And now you're stuck with me."

Jason laughed again. "I think I can deal with that," he smiled. He leaned a bit closer and Piper's heart froze for a second. Her face went completely blank as her mind seemed to melt and drain out her ear. She couldn't move, she couldn't breath, she couldn't think.

Jason pulled back and lay down in the sand, letting her hand drop quickly. Piper felt disappointment surge through her as she realized what had _almost _happened but she had stopped unintentionally.

_No! _She wanted to scream. _Kiss me, you fool!_ Instead, she just cleared her throat awkwardly and stared at Jason's back. Was he turning away to hide his anger or his disappointment? Were there hot pricks in his eyes, like she could feel in hers?

"We should go to sleep," Jason muttered without turning around. "Sorry about…" he trailed off, his voice hitching slightly. "Goodnight, Piper."

"Night," She muttered miserably, turning away from him and wrapping his jacket tightly around her body, breathing in his smell. It had a hint of bitterness to it.

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**I know it's short, but i had to end it there. Sorry :(**

**Also, i know this almost-kiss is so far right field from the cannon story, but hey, I'm the author, right? If anyone doesn't like it, you can write your own story. **

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	14. Chapter 14

**In my defense, it's Christmas**

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"MCLEAN! GRACE! YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO START RUNNING THE TRACK BEFORE YOU LEARN WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE HIT IN THE HEAD BY A BASEBALL BAT!"

Piper awoke with a start, rolling over groggily and mumbling something unintelligible. Then she seemed to remember where she was, register the threat and jump to her feet all in the same second. Jason, somehow, was still slumbering next to her, and the events of last night came back to Piper with horrible recollection. Jason had been about to kiss her, and she turned him down because she had frozen up. The thing that sucked was she really wanted Jason to kiss her. She just hadn't been expecting it at that moment, and therefore at the prospect of her first kiss being shared with a gorgeous boy at night alone in the wilderness had caused her to freeze up.

"GRACE!" Coach Hedge Screeched, delivering a kick to Jason's leg. "GET UP! NOW!" Jason turned over and mumbled something, one hand coming up to rub his sore leg. Hedge stared at him in disbelief, before grabbing the boy by his shoulders and yanking him to his feet. "RUN!" his attention turned to Piper. "WHAT ARE YOU GAWKING AT? GO! GET ON THAT TRACK!"

Piper scrambled over to the track ten meters away, self-conscious about the fact that everyone was laughing at her and the fact she had just woken up. Her shirt was rumpled and her hair was way out of place. She stumbled the first few steps before jogging at a steady pace around the track as Jason finally awoke enough to register what was going on a stumble towards the track as well. She had no idea how long she'd be running for, but it was better than getting whacked by Hedge's bat.

She wanted desperately to drop back and talk to Jason, apologize for what had happened last night and admit that she did want him to kiss her. Tell him everything, from how she had fallen for him the moment she saw him to how her heart skipped a beat every time he smiled. It would be like opening up the floodgates that she had kept closed her whole life, and Piper was scared that if she admitted that one thing, every other secret, feeling and opinion she had harbored over the years would come spilling out.

Instead, she just kept running, letting him gradually overtake her without even acknowledging her existence. His face was deliberately blank as he jogged past her under the ever-watchful eye of Coach Hedge. The rest of the students had gone back to classes but the Coach stayed out, glaring and yelling every now and then.

"MOVE IT, MCLEAN!"

"DON'T YOU DARE STOP, GRACE!"

'MAYBE NEXT TIME YOU'LL THINK ABOUT SLEEPING OUTSIDE!"

Piper ran until her lungs were burning and her feet felt like they were going to drop off. At noon, Hedge gave them a ten-minute break and a bottle of water, then he had them running again. By now, Piper was too tired to try and talk to Jason. Her throat was so dry she wouldn't be able to manage a single word, and her mind was only focused on running. Still, the whole time they were doing laps, she was mentally beating herself up for freezing in that one moment when Jason had been about to kiss her. A different decision, and everything would be better now. She would still be running the track, but she would be happy as she did it. Jason wouldn't be ignoring her, she would've shared her first kiss with someone she loved and for the first time in her life, she would truly have friends.

But no, she had gone and clammed up, because of her stupid mind. Now, everything had gone wrong, and it was up to her to fix it. She just hoped Leo didn't try to give her advice, because if he did she might break his neck out of sheer frustration.

Finally, when the sun was about an hour away from setting, Coach Hedge told them to stop running. Piper wanted to collapse immediately and fall asleep, but before she could even sit down the Coach was in her face.

"DON'T SLOW DOWN, YOU IDIOT! KEEP WALKING! GO!"

Obviously, he hadn't calmed down yet. Piper and Jason walked the track for another fifteen minutes until her breath wasn't coming out in short, ragged gasps anymore. It was still clear that Jason was ignoring her, but now that she wasn't running Piper could make out the expression on his face. It was mostly blank, but every time their eyes met he would drop the mask and she would see the face of a disappointed, heartbroken boy. It made her feel like someone was driving a dagger through her heart.

"Alright," Coach told them gruffly. "Learned your lesson, yeah?" they both nodded, avoiding eye-contact— both with the Coach and with each other. "Not going to spend more nights outside, yeah?" Again, they nodded. "Go inside. Get a bite to eat, then straight to bed. And don't expect the day off tomorrow!"

"Never," Piper muttered as she trailed behind Jason, who subtly increased his pace so that they weren't walking side by side. Feeling more miserable now that she wasn't running and had nothing to occupy her mind from running through everything that had gone wrong last night, Piper stumbled inside and to the cafeteria. Diner was already over, but a couple of the cleaning staff had stayed behind to close up and they told her that hot food was out of the question, but they could make her a sandwich if she wanted. Piper gratefully accepted.

She ate in silence, the whole cafeteria separating her from Jason. The sudden thought hit her that Leo would definitely choose to hand out with Jason rather than her, meaning that she would be friendless.

Oh well, she thought as she chewed. She was used to that.

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**I hated this, but a deals a deal, and I had to get this up today. So, sorry again and I hope next weeks will be better.**

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	15. Chapter 15

**Look! A chapter!**

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"So you think I should just tell him how I feel?"

The advice was definitely not what she expected, from a person she definitely did not expect to be getting it from. But, by some odd twist in the universe, she had ended up here, on the roof of the Wilderness School with Leo next to her, telling her what to do.

"Of course," the boy nodded, looking like he knew a whole world about this stuff. "It's simple logic, really: Jason like you, so he wants to kiss you. He makes a move but you back off-"

"I didn't back off!" Piper said quickly. " I just... Froze."

"Fine," Leo continued, rolling his eyes. "You 'freeze up', and because of that Jason thinks that you don't like him, and therefore do not want to kiss him. This leads to a turmoil of thoughts and depression, blah blah blah... And the out of the blue, you appear telling him that no, you really do want to have a soppy love story with him and then you two make out and skip off into the sunset."

Piper opened her mouth to tell him how stupid that was, but then thought for a second. Despite the fact it was coming from Leo, the advice actually made a lot of sense. Plus, there was nothing to lose from telling Jason about her feelings for him. The worst that could happen would be that he rejected her and ignored her, which was already happening.

There was just one flaw in Leo's otherwise surprisingly solid plan: Piper had no idea when or where to confront Jason and tell him how she felt, nor did she have the slightest clue as to what she should say. Piper, to put it lightly, was not good at these things.

"When should I do it?" She asked, figuring if Leo had gotten her this far, he could do a little bit more. To her dismay, he just shrugged.

"How do I know?" He asked. "Probably at night, or when you two are alone somewhere. And I would give him a bit of time to cool down.

"Is he mad at me?" Piper asked, and again Leo shrugged.

"You think he tells me these things? He replied. "I'm assuming he's confused, at the least, and yeah, probably a bit mad."

"Great." Piper seemed to deflate, and Leo jogged her with his elbow in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Hey," he grinned. "Look on the bright side. This gives you an opportunity to make it up with him, while simultaneously telling him how you feel. And you've been waiting all semester to tell him that right?"

"How did you know?" Piper questioned him. Leo smirked at her, amused.

"You really think it was that hard?" he laughed. "With you gawking at him every five seconds, anyone could have figured it out." A slight frown creased his features. "Anyone but Jason, that is."

"Worried about the weather, are we?"

Piper spun around in surprise, simultaneously exiting the web page she had opened and smiling at her teacher in what she hoped was an innocent expression.

"I was worried about a hurricane," she explained, mentally slapping herself for the lame excuse that she had thought of. Right now, Piper was sitting in computers class, where they were supposed to be learning the fundamentals of survival on a website. Instead, Piper had been studying the weather, and she was thrilled as to what she saw.

"Miss McLean," her teacher snapped. "This is the desert. We don't get hurricanes." Snickers broke out throughout the class, kids shaking their heads in dismay at her stupidity. She could see Isabel smirking at her and mouthing the word _idiot_. The only two people who weren't laughing at her were Jason and Leo. Leo, for his part, seemed to be laughing _with_ her.

Leo, Piper had come to realize, was a bit of an odd case. Unlike Piper, who seemed to be a natural introvert and had trouble socializing, Leo seemed to be perfectly suited for human interaction. He was funny; he always had a smart comeback or clever remark, and he was a certifiable genius when it came to electronics or construction. Also, there was an unnamable trait around him that just made you want to be in his company. And, despite what he thought, Leo was decent looking in an elfish way.

Not that Piper had any sort of crush on him. No, her she had eyes only for Jason, but that didn't mean she couldn't note Leo had a hapless, cute look around him. Except for his eyes. His eyes were anything but hapless and innocent. They were guarded and injured, and eve though Piper was no expert reader of facial expressions, she thought she could see a lot of guilt hiding beneath the mysterious expression that usually came across his face. It was almost as if Leo physically _tried_ to isolate himself from other people, choosing instead to enjoy his own company and that of a few others.

The other person who wasn't laughing at her was Jason, but he was a different case. His eyes were deliberately looking anywhere _but_ Piper, scanning the whiteboard, his screen, finding something very interesting in his shoelaces.

Jason was another interesting case. Unlike Leo, who was the kind of person people would keep around for laughs, the kind of person who would crack jokes and never take anything seriously, Jason was the type of person who was always there for you— a strong, silent personality, with the look of a guy you immediately trusted and assumed would be able to give you advice. He was dependable, and he was none-judgmental. He was also extremely patient, and knew just the right moment to laugh or act amazed to make a person feel good.

In other words, Jason should have been the kind of person people flocked around, sticking with him wherever he went. It didn't hurt that he was as hot as a Roman god. But, like Leo, Jason seemed to isolate himself from other people. Unlike Leo, Piper actually had a theory as to why he did this. Jason was the kind of person who had no time for bullies, or any sort of cruelty. And from what Piper had seen (and she had seen quite a bit), the world was a pretty cruel and bullying place. Jason, it seemed, was well desired, but the desire only went one way.

Their teacher ordered the class back to work and stayed standing behind Piper, watching to see if she tried to access any external sights. Piper didn't mind though; she had found out exactly what she wanted to find out.

She quickly (or as quickly as the pre-windows-era machines allowed) opened up the survival page on Internet explorer and began to click random answers, not really caring that they were getting marked on this stupid assignment. What she was really focusing on was her apology to Jason, which she planned to do today. And then, if that failed, she even had a back-up plan. If Jason refused to forgive her, she was going to invite him on a sort of date. At least, as much of a date as you could get in the Wilderness School, short of running away and dying in the desert together.

There was a meteor shower tonight.

"Jason!"

The blonde boy looked over his shoulder, surprised, and saw Piper jogging quickly towards him. For a second, he had a deer-in-the-headlights look around him. Then he steeled himself and turned to face her fully.

"Yeah?" he asked, trying to keep his voice casual. She stopped next to him, panting from the short run. Piper took it as a good sign that Jason had stopped for her, although the look on his face was anything but encouraging. He didn't look mad, at all. Instead, he looked a bit nervous.

"I was… well…" And now that she had the opportunity, she completely faltered with what she was going to say. She had spent hours of class practicing this speech, everything from the wording down to the pronunciation and the pauses. It was like she was talking in front of the house of congress, not one sixteen-year-old boy. She was suddenly struck by the ridiculous image of Jason in long, flowing purple robes and one of those ridiculous wigs that courtroom judges where. A faint smile came to her lips.

"Do you hate me?"

Piper looked up, shocked. It was Jason who had posed the question, the very question that she had been about to ask. Now the blond boy was looking at her curiously. She made to answer, but she was too stunned.

"Uh… well…" she saw Jason face fall and quickly moved to cover it up. "No!" she said urgently. "No, I don't hate you. Why would you think that?" Jason shrugged, keeping up his indifferent attitude, but Piper could sense an undercurrent of relief flowing through him. He stood up a bit straighter.

"Well, you did turn away from me," he said, and Piper winced. This was the one part of her story that was a bit week, because she really had no idea _what_ exactly had made her freeze up when she was about to kiss Jason.

"I didn't mean to," she explained, making an effort to stick to her script. "I was just nervous, I guess, and I had never really done anything like that before, and…" she trailed off, realizing Jason was looking at her with a single eyebrow cocked. She stopped, and he smiled for what seemed like the first time in days.

"So did you just come to apologize?" he asked, once again trying to keep up his casual, neutral expression. But something about his body language, the way he stood with his arms now unfolded, told Piper that he had forgiven her.

"No," she said. "Well yes, but no." he cocked his eyebrow again. There was something about the expression that was ridiculously distracting. "I wanted to tell you that there's a meteor shower going on tomorrow night."

"That's nice," he said, not catching on. Piper let out a long suffering sigh in her mind.

"I'm going to sneak onto the roof to watch it," she continued, hoping he would get the point, but again he just nodded. "Do you wanna— I dunno, watch it with me?"

Jason seemed to consider for an extremely long amount of time, although it was probably only a few seconds, before shrugging. Piper could tell he was still slightly guarded, but nothing close to what he had been.

"Sure," he smiled. "Why not?"

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**Not my best piece of work, sorry. Still, it's chapter!**

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	16. Chapter 16

**Well, it's a chapter :p**

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"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Piper whispered from where she was crouched behind a closed door. Leo was next to her, and Jason was on his other side. Leo was holding a box of matches.

"Of course it's not a good idea," Leo grinned. "But it's been a couple of weeks since I've done anything prank-worthy, and that's a streak I can't afford to keep up."

"But… setting the coaches pants on fire?" Piper asked. "Couldn't we, I dunno, draw on his door or something?" Leo gave her a long-suffering look. Even Jason smirked at the sad idea.

Thankfully, Jason had dropped his guarded attitude around Piper and gone right back to his easy-going— and handsome— self. They hadn't really had a moment to themselves yet, but Piper had spent the whole day fantasizing about what might happen up on the rooftop. Leo had told her that there was a ninety-two percent chance of Jason kissing her, according to leading magazine surveys.

And this time, Piper was determined not to freeze.

"Draw on his door?" Leo sighed, shaking his head in mock disappointment. He shared a look with Jason. "Where did we go wrong with her, Jason?"

"No clue," he replied, shaking his head. "Now, are we going to light his pants, or are we going to sit here all day?"

"I vote for sitting here all day," Piper supplied, raising her hand half way. Leo gave her another long look, before grabbing one of the rolled-up balls of paper that were sitting beside him and pulling a pack of matches from his pocket. Where he was able to liberate matches from, Piper had no idea.

"I'll take the first shot," he whispered. "Piper, light the second one, cause if I miss we'll get one more shot before we turn and run like hell."

"Gotcha," Piper said, taking the pack of matches from his as he struck one against the floor, watching it light and pressing the flame to the ball of paper. It caught quickly and he yanked open the door to Coach Hedge's office, sighted the man sitting at his desk and lobbed it underhand, aiming for the hem of his tracksuit bottoms. Piper was already lighting the second ball as she heard the Coach Swear and look around, quickly stamping out the ball of flame.

Piper tossed the second one and her heart leaped into her throat as she saw it hit him in the thigh and stick for a second there, the flames licking eagerly at his pants.

Piper and Jason turned to flee but Leo stayed behind, lighting and throwing one more ball before racing after them as Coach Hedge, cussing like a sailor, chased after them, seemingly oblivious to the fact his pants were now in flames.

Piper had a fleeting worry that his legs might get burned, but quickly shoved the thought aside. Knowing the coach, he had flame-resistant thermal underwear under those things. Even if he didn't, it wouldn't be that hard to pull the pants off.

Finally, Hedge had to give up the chase to yank off his sweatpants. Giggling and gasping uncontrollably, the trio stumbled outside into the desert sun, Leo collapsing onto the ground in a fit of giggles. Piper was far behind, her knees buckling under her as she fought for breath. Jason wasn't as bad, but he still had to lean against the wall as he doubled over.

"That was… greatest thing…" Piper gasped unevenly, trying to regain her breath. Beside her, Leo was flapping his arms helplessly as he choked on his own breath. "The look… Hedge's face…" Piper doubled over on the ground in a fit of uneven giggles.

Jason was the first to recover, wiping tears from his eyes as he stood up straight. Piper took a few gasping breaths as she tried to control herself, finally recovering from her fit of laughter. Her giggles slowly subsided into uneven hiccups and snorts of laughter as she re-envisioned the coaches shocked face as his pants like up like Christmas.

"You do realize," Leo wheezed, "That we're dead?"

"Worth it, dude," Jason said, shaking his head. "Totally worth it."

Linebreak

"What's this?"

Piper whirled around from where she was combing her hair to see Isabel standing in the doorway, yawning and looking at Piper with something close to surprise. "The native mascot decided she got tired of wearing a badger as a crown?" Her two cronies giggled on cue, and Piper felt her face flush with anger. As ever, she was left without a comeback and just went back to combing vigorously.

"You know," Isabel continued as she strolled onto her bed and plopped down, pulling a tube of mascara out of her pocket and applying it carefully. "I didn't know that you had a reason to look good, Piper. Is it that Grace boy?"

"You mean the one you had a crush on the moment you saw him?" Piper snapped back, and Isabel's face twisted into an ugly grimace.

"At least I got over him once I realized what a loser he is," she replied, leaning in close to her mirror to carefully outline her eye in blue eye shadow.

Leo chose that moment to burst into the room, looking around frantically before diving under the nearest bed. Isabel looked up, shrugged and went back to her makeup.

A couple of minutes later his face popped out, curly hair bouncing slightly as he climbed to his feet and dusted off his shirt, coughing and looking around awkwardly. He caught Isabel's eye and smiled cheekily, before turning towards Piper.

"I got the blankets you asked for," he said, holding out a bundle of rolled-up blankets and pillows. "Hedge saw me on the way and chased me with his bat, but I was able to lure him into the kitchens and then toss tonight's supper in his face. WE might go hungry, but at least I didn't get whacked."

"Thanks," Piper smiled, secretly marveling at Leo's perfect appearance. She was starting to think he planned things like this.

"Why do you need blankets and pillows?" Isabel asked, moving closer. She was even more interested in what Piper was getting up to. Chances are, she'd be able to turn the tables and make it humiliating for her.

"Nothing you need to care about," Piper told her sniffily. She could read the glint in Isabel's eyes that said she wanted to know what Piper was doing just so she could mess it up for her, and Piper was sure she wasn't going to let anything get in the way with her sort-of date with Jason.

Leo, on the other hand, had other ideas. Unlike Piper, he didn't feel intimidated or threatened by Isabel in any way. He had spent his life running and sewers and dealing with crazy lady's who thought it was fun to shove him in fireplaces. He had hung out with Los Angeles gangs and New York's criminals, knowing fully well that they only kept him around for laughs.

Because of those reasons, Leo could look at Isabel with something close to amusement, and he knew how important this date was to Piper. He wasn't going to let her mess it up.

"Oh, you know," he said nonchalantly. "She needs it for her date with Jason." Isabel's eyes grew wide with genuine shock. Piper nudged him, hard, but he wasn't going to stop now. "And then, they're disappearing into the night and heading for Vegas. We'll probably see them in a couple of weeks at the party we're going to."

"We're going to a party?" It was lucky that Isabel had asked the question before Piper, or that may have blown his story. But Leo just smiled adamantly and nodded.

"Didn't you hear?" Leo smiled happily. "The Wilderness school has been invited to some giant Vegas Environmental Convention thing, because what we do is a direct representation of what they're supporting there."

"Oh my god!" Isabel squealed, completely forgetting about Piper as she grabbed for her makeup drawer. "A celebrity convention? When?"

"A week and a half," Leo answered confidently. While the three girls fell over each other reaching for their wardrobes, Leo handed the blankest and pillows to Piper, before winking and disappearing down the hall.

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**Yeah, it's short, but in my defence I really have nothing planned after they kiss, because the Lost Hero just kind of fast-forwards to the bus ride, leaving me two weeks to fill in. That's why I invented the party idea, partly to have something to do, partly so Leo can get engaged. **

**I guess you'll see :)**

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	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry for the short chapter, but I'm trying to draw this story out because really, I only have two chapters left in this story. **_  
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**I know. I don't want it to end, mainly because I love writing this, and also because I hate ending stories. **

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_Skip the roof-top kiss, because we all know what happened there_

Piper liked to think that she looked at life from a non-romantic, guarded view. In the short time she had spent trying to make friends, they had rejected her and tossed her aside because of a few small differences. Boys, she had come to realize, acted as they shot they should act— in a manner that would get them included in society. Girls were even worse, caking themselves in makeup, putting on tight-fitting tops and short pants just to catch some boys eye. In Piper's mind, love was dumb and didn't exist at all, because most couples only knew each other from how the other acted in public, which was nothing like what they actually were.

And so what if she was humming to herself as she spun down the hall at four in the morning, grinning widely and remembering the gentle, almost hesitant warmth of Jason's lips against hers?

So what if she was already planning out their conservation, just so that it wouldn't be awkward between them?

And so what if she was searching for the most obnoxious, best way to show her and Jason's relationship to Isabel?

As much as she didn't want to admit it, Piper had fallen in love, and as sixteen-year-old summer love went, she had fallen pretty hard.

Moving as silently as she could, she slipped into her room, dressed in the dark and climbed into her bed, but her mind was moving far too quickly for sleep. Jason, beautiful, wonderful, patient Jason, had gone and kissed her in what had to be the single most romantic setting of all time. Piper had never really thought of herself as pretty (same as most girls), but now she came to realize there must be some kind of attraction to her if Jason, who was handsome enough to have limitless options of girls, had kissed her, and her only.

There was no great moment of revelation, where Piper was hit by a warm golden glow and suddenly filled by self-confidence. Instead, it just brought a small smile to her face when she realized that she wasn't as ugly as earlier experiences had made her think.

It was to be said that Piper hadn't looked at herself as ugly; she was merely not aware that she was stunningly beautiful. Leo had noticed in on his first day here, although he had also noticed that if he went after Piper he would merely be adding another name to the 'out of my league' list.

Isabel, too saw it, although she refused to believe what her own mind was telling her. In her eyes, beauty was measured in self-confidence and fashion, which Piper had neither to her.

It was safe to say that Piper fell asleep with a smile on her face that night, and not even Isabel could bring her down the next morning. As her alarm clock awakened her Piper sat up, smiled slightly and stretched. Life just seemed so… _good_ right now. The weather outside was sunny, the room was fresh and she felt surprisingly sharp compared to her normal morning self.

Isabel caught sight of the smile on her face. "What've you got to be happy about, native trash?" She sneered as she leaned closer to her makeup mirror. Another inch, Piper thought, and she would be touching the thing. She dearly wished it would smash on the ground.

Then she realized that if Isabel's snapped, she would merely take one of her friends and leave them helpless. No, she decided, better to stab Isabel's eyes out and leave her completely helpless.

With that cheerful thought, Piper got dressed and headed down to breakfast, running into the boys halfway down the stairs. Jason grinned widely at her and Piper felt herself blush deeply as she smiled back. She was glad to discover a touch of colour on Jason's cheeks, as well. If he didn't blush it would've just been unfair.

"Were you telling the truth about the banquet?" Piper asked as she fell in step with them. Jason answered eagerly.

"For once, he wasn't lying," he grinned again. "I'm not sure if all of us are going, or where it's going to be or how big it's going to be, but we are going to some celebrity environmental summit in three days."

"I don't have anything to wear," was the first thing out of Piper's mouth. Leo's head snapped up in surprise.

"Wait, you care about fashion?" he asked, glancing disbelievingly in Piper's direction. "_You?"_

"I am a girl, you know," Piper snapped.

"I would hope so," Leo responded, a smile breaking out on his features. Realization dawned on Piper.

"You told him!" she said accusingly to Jason, who grinned sheepishly.

"He knew sooner than I did, Pipes," he told her. "He was freaking waiting for me when I walked in, acting like a teenage girl all hyped up about the kiss."

"I was _not_," Leo stated indignantly, but neither of them were listening to his complaints. Only then did Leo realize that he was standing in between the two of them. Picking the first thing in his pocket— a metal nut— he pretended to fumble and watched as it bounced down the stairs.

Muttering under his breath, he went to pick it up, crossing across Piper and placing her next to her newfound boyfriend. The move didn't go unnoticed and she smiled gratefully, stepping a little bit closer to Jason.

"But really," Piper said. "What am I supposed to do?"

"We're not much better off, you know," Jason smiled. "The best I brought was jeans and a hoodie."

"You could borrow something from Isabel," Leo suggested, and Piper glared at him. She would rather die than do that.

"Or we could persuade Hedge to bring us in the day before and give us a hundred-dollar spending budget to rent something," Jason suggested, and Piper found herself nodding to that idea.

"Would he listen to us?" she wondered aloud, and Leo looked at her like she was insane.

"Of course he wouldn't listen to us," he said. "But he would sure listen to golden boy, Dylan."

Linebreak

"Sure!" Dylan's horribly white smile almost blinded Piper as he broke into a grin at the idea. "That's great!"

Leo blinked. "Well, that was surprisingly easy." Jason nodded in agreement.

"I expected him to at least wonder _why_ we wanted to head into a clothes rental place with a hundred dollars." Jason shook his head. "Guess not." Dylan bound out of the room, set on his mission.

"Well, nothing to do here," Leo said, gazing around the room. "May as well go to the kitchen to see if there's something to eat."

"You know," Jason told him as they set off. "For a skinny kid, you eat way to much."

"Hey," Leo defended. "I've had to steal from McDonalds' to eat before. This is a luxury, man." Other people might get emotional about that, but Leo treated it like on big joke. That was one of the great things about Leo.

The two boys kept talking, but Piper tuned out as she saw Isabel heading up the stairs they were currently walking down. A sudden idea struck Piper. It would probably get her teased later, but right now it was completely worth it.

"Well, at least—" Jason started to say, but he was cut off when Piper grabbed his neck and kissed him. He made a muffled sound of shock, before responding eagerly. Piper could hear Isabel stop and drop her phone, an exclamation of surprise escaping her mouth.

To make it better, there was the _click_ of a shutter as Leo took a picture from beside them. Piper and Jason stayed locked at the lips.

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**Didn't like the ending. Next one will be up in two weeks, and then two weeks after that the short-ish ending chapter will be up. Thank you guys all for supporting me. **

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	18. Chapter 18

**So, early update. Long story short, I'm in whistler over the weekend and would not have been able to update, so I'm doing it now. Hurrah, hurrah. **

**On a glummer note, this is the second last chapter in the story. I'm sorry, but it has to end, and their time at the Wilderness School is coming to an end. So, alas, one epilogue and then we're done with LIT. **

**Also, special shout out to Minako-Nikita for all the reviews he gave me. Made my day!**

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"I feel stupid," Leo said for the hundredth time, adjusting his tie and fixing his jacket once again.

"Leo, you're wearing a stark white suit with purple shoes and a black bowtie that's tied together in a bow," Jason said tiredly. "You knew you were going to look stupid when you rented it."

"White's my colour," the Latino shot back. "I need to get a white suit."

"Here." Piper rolled her eyes, stepping forwards and tugging at his tie. "The least you can do is fix this thing, so you're actually wearing it properly." Her hands skillfully untied and then retied his black tied, pulling it tight and then straightening it. Leo stood absolutely still, casting a nervous glance over to Jason as she worked.

Once she was done, Piper turned towards Jason. "You too, big shot." Leo noticed that Piper stepped quite a bit closer to Jason than she did to Leo, and when she was done she pecked him on the cheek. "I told you you'd look good in a suit."

"Yeah, yeah," Jason muttered, turning pink on the cheeks. "Not as good as you look in your dress, though." Leo rolled his eyes and turned away as the two continued to compliment each other. Piper was dressed in a dark purple knee length down, with a black trim along the edges. Her and Jason had playfully argued in the rental shop, with Piper claiming that she didn't wear dresses. Her resolve had crumbled under Jason's constant onslaught of compliments she had rented the dress. Now, with a little help with some nicer girls in the dorm next to her, she had touches of makeup around her eyes and lips, some blush on her cheeks. Piper hadn't let the girls style her hair, but she had given in and let them take scissors and even it out, even giving her bangs, which Jason now tucked behind her ear.

"They're blocking your eyes," he explained, almost embarrassed. He was glad to see that Leo had walked off and was going upstairs, probably to fix his hair or trade words with Dylan. As much as he liked having Leo around, he wanted a bit of time with Piper.

"Really?" Piper asked, wrapping her arms around his neck and stepping closer to him. "And is that a bad thing?"

"Very bad thing," Jason nodded, placing his hands on her waist. "I love your eyes."

"What about them?" Piper nearly whispered, pressing against him. Jason gulped. Piper wasn't quite sure why she was so calm in this position; normally, she had no clue what to do around boys.

"They change," Jason murmured. "I can't decide what colour they are." He peered closer, but in that instant Piper kissed him. She could find herself smiling against his lips as they kissed. Every time their lips touched it sent a spark of electricity through her, as if she were doing it for the first time all over again. She knew that they shouldn't be doing this, right here in the middle of the boys dorm where anyone could walk in on them.

Jason's hand skimmed up her back, stopping midways up and pulling her closer. All thoughts of being careful flew out her mind. They stayed like that for another minute until Jason pulled back gasping. They stared into each others eyes for a long time, until Jason smiled.

"I still can't figure out which colour they are," Jason smiled, and Piper laughed softly. She stepped back, missing his warmth immediately, and took his hand. It was a small replacement for the warmth of his body pressed against hers, but it would have to do.

"It doesn't matter," Piper smiled. "They can be whatever colour you want them to be."

"Blue," Jason decided. Then he frowned. "Or maybe green. Brown would look cute on you as well." He tilted his hand at her critically. "I can't decide."

"Just leave them as they are," Piper smiled, pulling him closer. "Just settle with 'better than Isabel's.'"

"Of course," Jason laughed. "You're the most beautiful girl at the school, you know that?"

"I don't think so," Piper smiled. "But you're sweet. Definitely the sweetest guy here, you know that?" Jason screwed up his face.

"You get stunningly beautiful and prettier than any girl here," Jason complained. "I get sweet?"

"Oh, shut up and take the compliment," Piper laughed, rolling here eyes. She turned quickly and kissed him once, pulling back and touching foreheads with him. "Better?"

He kissed her once more, hands skimming her waist a resting on her hips. It was longer than the previous one, and they both pulled back short of breath. "It is now," he panted.

"Fine," Piper sighed. "You're the most handsome guy I've ever met."

"You didn't have to say that," Jason said as they walked hand-in-hand to the waiting bus.

"I know," Piper replied. "But it's true."

Two of the busses were lined up, idling out front as students filed on. The air was filled with excited chatter as students offered their opinions on who they would see at the party— and everyone seemed to know exactly what they were talking about.

"Orlando Bloom," Piper snorted in disbelief. "They think _Orlando Bloom _is going to show up at a part that's hosted for us?"

Linebreak

"_Orlando Bloom_?" Piper stared in disbelief. "They actually have Orlando Bloom. Orlando. Freaking. Bloom."

"He's shorter in real life," Jason decided, squinting at the famous actor with a critical eye. "And he doesn't look as picture-perfect."

"Well, of course not," Leo cut in. "He's not wearing all his makeup, and the lighting isn't perfect. He's obviously not going to look the same as he does on camera."

Piper was still staring at him with a slightly open-mouth posture. She studied him for a few seconds, before turning to Jason and looking him up and down. "You're still hotter," she decided, smiling up at him. His cheeks turned red, and Leo coughed uncomfortably.

"I'm going to go, you know, challenge him to a swordfight," he announced, slowly stepping away from them. "I want you two home before midnight, no funny business, remember the birds and the…"

"Leo," Jason cut in, glaring. The Latino boy gave a small grin before darting off in the direction of Orlando Bloom.

"Should we stop him?" Piper asked as he disappeared into the crowd. She felt slightly guilty about watching him walk away into a pack of strangers. On the other hand, this was Leo; he could make friends wherever he went. Plus, Piper wasn't going to argue with more alone time spent with Jason.

"Eh," the boy shrugged. "He'll be fine. What's the worst that could happen?" Piper didn't answer that question, just leaned her head against Jason's shoulder and wrapped an arm around his waist. They walked like that for several hours, picking up a drink when they got thirsty or food when they got hungry. The whole convention was going to start around ten, but until then guests were free to walk around and enjoy themselves.

They bumped into several celebrities along the way. Piper got a compliment from John Barrowman, and Jason ended up with a kiss on the cheek from Katie Perry. He whipped it off as soon as she was gone and gave a guilty look to Piper.

"Sorry," he muttered, but she just laughed.

"You can't help being irresistible," she told him. "Just make sure it doesn't lead anywhere, yeah?" He muttered that of course it wouldn't. She laughed and kissed him.

That's how they spent the majority of the night, slipping in and out of people and chatting the time away. Piper dearly wished that she could freeze this one moment, this instant, this day with Jason. Keep it in a box, to open whenever she felt like and experience again. Because every time that Jason laughed, every time they made eye contact, every time they kissed, sent a thrill of unrivaled shock through her body. She never wanted to loose him; never wanted to spend a moment away from him. Even if she had only known him for a few months, there was a connection; a link between the two that seemed as inseparable as an atom.

This, of course, caused an elephant in the room that Piper wasn't looking forwards to addressing. Still, she couldn't keep the matters off her hands. When the host of the party stepped onto the stage and everyone fell quite, she gestured him away.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked, grabbing his hand and pulling him away. People were gathering around the stage and all eyes were on the host. She had no trouble finding a quiet, secluded spot away by the poolside where they could talk. The pool glittered from its underwater lights in the darkness, looking cool and refreshing but also slightly frightening. The wind sent soft ripples across its surface, throwing the reflection of the night sky into nothing.

The first thing Piper did was crush her lips against his; she had been waiting a good two hours to do that unnoticed. He responded with surprise at first, and then pleasure as he met the kiss eagerly. His hands found her hips; hers were around his neck.

Finally, they pulled apart and stared into each others eyes, just as before. He kissed her on the forehead, stroking her hair lightly with one hand and holding her with the other.

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked her, his voice almost a whisper. There was no worry about being heard; it merely felt right to keep a low volume in the serene surrounding of their environment.

"It's just…" Piper hesitated. What she was about to say sounded so stupid in her head, but she needed to address it. "While, when this whole thing is over, we'll be going different ways. You'll go back to San Fran Cisco, and I'll go to California, and we'll probably never see each other again. I don't want that to happen, Jason. You're the only person whose ever cared about me, besides my dad. I don't want to loose you, okay? I don't—"her voice faltered. Jason stopped stroking her and pulled her close, hugging her tightly as she buried her head in his shoulder.

"Oh, Pipes," he muttered softly. "It'll be alright, I know it will. We'll find away. We can instant message or something, and we'll arrange to meet every now and then. It won't be that bad."

She pulled back and the next instant they were kissing again, with something close to desperation. He was holding her closer than ever, his eyes closed and his brain lost in the kiss.

They both missed Leo skidding around the corner of the pool. He had lipstick on his face, his bowtie was undone and he looked frantic. Seeing them, he raced over, stumbling over his own feet.

"Guys!" he said when he got close. "I _might_ have accidentally gotten engaged to Selena Gomez!" He slid to a halt next to them and frowned at the couple, still locked at the lips. "How do you keep going? Do you breath through your ears or something?" Rapping Jason on the head, he sent a nervous glance over his shoulder. "Guys! She's called the chapel, there's a car waiting, this is happening _now!"_ They paid no attention to him. Finally, he gave up, stepping back. "Fine. Fine then. I'll just go get married then, will I? See how you like _that_." He spun on his heel and started walking towards a distant figure at the entrance to the pool.

"Selena! Get your coat!"

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**I might have coppied that from Doctor Who. Think nothing of it**

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	19. Chapter 19

**And here we are, at the very ending. Sorry to you guys for the chapter being so short, but it was time to close it up and this style of writing isn't really up my alley. I did my best, and thank you all so much for supporting me throughout this whole story and helping me reach over 1000 reviews. You guys are the best, and I thank every single one of you. **

**Enjoy!**

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The bus bumped along the rode and Piper jostled in her seat, one headphone falling out of her ear. She cast a look over to see if Jason was awake, but he was still sleeping peacefully, his fingers loosely gripping hers. He was beautiful when he slept, she thought, with his blonde hair falling over to one side and his face fully relaxed. The last couple of days Jason had seemed troubled, his face creased, his eyes often half-narrowed as if he were trying to remember something.

It didn't help when Piper told him about her dream. Of course, her first instinct was to close up and not tell anyone, but Jason was different. He wouldn't view her as a freak for having a weird dream, she new. If anything, Jason would go to the ends of the earth and back just to help her find her dad, if that's what had to be done. Leo, too. Leo would follow them wherever they went, making bad jokes and creating miniature catapults with pipe cleaners.

So Piper told Jason one morning over breakfast in a hushed voice. At first he had been disbelieving, but seeing the fear in her eyes and the desperation on her face he had finally given in and listened intently to the whole thing. Afterwards, he had sat back with a loud sigh and run a hand through his hair the way he did.

"You say it felt real?" He asked, and Piper nodded with conviction. Even though it _had_ to be just a dream, it had been far too realistic for comfort what with the hot flames licking at her face and her dads bloodied, beaten body hanging from a stake.

"As if I were actually there," Piper had answered. Jason had pursed his lips and shaken his head in defeat as no logical explenation came to mind. Piper could tell that something else was bothering him, and she tried her best not to pester him over the last couple of days —although some pestering had been done, especially the kind that ended up with Jason against a wall with Piper in his arms.

Now, they were off to see the Grand Canyon, and Piper could feel the end drawing near. She knew there were only a couple of weeks left until Jason would be whisked away to San Francisco and she was back to California with her dad, where they may never talk again.

That was, _if _her dad was still in California and not hanging over a purple fire, held hostage by a massive giant and tied to a stake. God, how weird that sentence sounded to Piper, but she couldn't deny how realistic the dream had felt. The fear. The terror. The gripping, gnawing anxiety for her father as she saw him helplessly tied up and beaten.

All of these problems she had spilled to Jason on the bus ride when she was sure no one else could hear. Jason, exhausted from a lack of sleep and mentally drilling for information from himself, had gone to sleep while still holding her hand.

"It'll be okay, Pipes," he muttered just before he fell asleep, his eyes half-closed and his head lolling. "Trust me, it'll be fine. We'll work everything out." At that moment, she had believed him, partly because she wanted to believe him, partly because Jason was never wrong and never lied to her.

This time however, he was wrong. This time, he lied to her, while not intentionally doing so. Because things _wouldn't_ be all right when he woke up. Instead, when he woke up, her whole life would go to turmoil, and things wouldn't be right for a long, long time.

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**And there we have it. As anyone who reads Brotherbad will discover, I don't like happy endings, and this one was no exception. Besides, heroes never have happy endings, right? **

**One last time, thank you all so so so much for everything you've done. **

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